


Faded Fantasy

by Phenobarbital



Series: Faded Fantasy [1]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Angst, Cannibalism, Chapter 3 is fanfic art gif, Confusing Will, Dark Will, Derogatory Language, Domestic Issues, Drama, First Time, Graphic Sexual Content, Hannibal Loves Will, Hannibal is Hannibal, Humor, Language, M/M, Murder, Psychopaths In Love, Second Time, Sexuality Crisis, Shades of Fluff, There will be sex, Those who slay together stay together, Violence, Will Loves Hannibal, Will is straight, awkward moments, but it's complicated, canon typical stuff, confused Hannibal, post wotl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-21
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-06-03 15:02:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 82,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6615154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phenobarbital/pseuds/Phenobarbital
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hannibal navigates his way through Will's heterosexuality...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. What it all could be...

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Hannibal or any of its characters, nor do I own anything recognizable as Damien's Rice's.
> 
> \- Since most of my other Hannibal stories are written from Will's perspective, I wanted to do something in Hannibal's POV, so this is it. It was meant to be a one shot, but when it got to 60 + pages I decided to put it up in two parts.  
> \- This story was inspired by a Damien Rice song (yet another one) and I would seriously suggest listening to the song, it really sets the atmosphere, especially for the second part of this story. You can listen to it [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh1C8qpODZs/)  
> if you're interested  
> \- Swedish to English translation can be viewed by hovering your cursor over the linked "

 

* * *

  


* * *

It was snowing outside, had been for a few days rather heavily, and the snowfall had long since begun to feel somewhat isolating in its persistence.

Hannibal would not usually have minded a few days staying home while it snowed, not when he had a beautiful home customized to suit his every need, with an extensively equipped kitchen and pantry fully stocked, a cellar decked out with vintage wines, his music to listen to, his instruments to play, his books and drawings and his self-induced tranquility, by and with everything that he found satisfying and pleasurable.

But in fleeing America and having to go into hiding from the authorities, living away as much as possible from the general population out of necessity, in a house standing alone for miles in the countryside of Skellefteå, Sweden…under that circumstance, even with a beautiful home filled with the things he'd always formerly appreciated above all else, Hannibal was not at peace, Hannibal was not pleased, nor happy…not even content.

Presently, he played his slender fingers over the keys of his black grand piano, filling the modernly designed, glass walled house, which he'd long owned under a false name, with the lilt of dark music notes that he'd composed himself. The glass of red wine that he'd poured earlier, sat untouched atop the closed lid of the piano and Hannibal felt no great thirst for the rich alcohol. He hadn't in a long while.

It'd been almost eight months since the fall from the cliff.

He'd long since healed and regained his full strength, and then some, but he had yet to find himself with an appetite again. He hadn't found himself in the mood for a hunt either, had no interest in finding a victim, rude or otherwise, didn't crave the taste of a gourmet prepared dish, not of heart or lungs or kidneys or liver or limbs.

Recently, he cooked only because he was hungry in the most banal and basic sense of the word, and of course being human, he needed to eat, he required the sustenance of it.

But it had all been animal meat in the past eight months, lesser quality store bought meat.

He still took his time and made the effort to present the meals he prepared as intricately and precisely as he always had, in hopes of finding pleasure in it, of rekindling his desire for human meat, but it was just never as fulfilling as it had once been. Everything he ate tasted bitter afterward, tasted empty, nothing was as beautiful or enjoyable as it once had been, nothing…

…when compared, to that which he couldn't have.

Hannibal clenched his jaw and closed his eyes as he continued to stroke the piano keys expertly, eliciting more ominous and daunting notes from the instrument. The fire crackled softly in the living room fire place, a background noise, and the wind howled just audibly outside, tossing a flurry of white flakes around beyond the windows. The scenery around the house was expansively white and the mountain views in the distance were stunning, but Hannibal didn't look at it, didn't even glance outside, he didn't care for it.

He just kept playing, kept his eyes closed, able to remember his composition key for key and he allowed himself to get lost in it for what felt like hours, but was really only minutes. Perhaps thirty minutes or so, before he was drawn from his reverie by the sound of the front door opening. He slowly opened his eyes again, having almost faltered in playing, but with his long honed self-control and dexterity, he was able to keep going, and was inwardly relieved that he hadn't given away his distracted mind so obviously.

Even as his stomach felt light and uneasy with anticipation and uncertainty.

The involuntary feeling was not new to him though, he'd actually been experiencing what people generally referred to as 'butterflies' in his stomach occasionally since that night on the cliff. And while he wasn't certain the feelings were necessarily caused by his 'being in love', Hannibal was quite certain that whatever they were, he'd much rather be able to cut them out of himself, cleanly, surgically, permanently.

Because at least then he wouldn't have to deal with what followed the onset of the 'butterflies', which was the nagging, empty aching reality that his 'love' was of the unrequited sort.

As if to punctuate the hollow ache tugging at Hannibal's insides, Will walked into the living room right then.

Hannibal didn't look at him, but he quietly inhaled the aroma of the younger man as Will walked by him, and the initial permeation was of the pleasant, dark base notes of Will's new choice cologne, an expensive, quality fragrance that Will had had a say in selecting and Hannibal had gladly paid for.

But aside from the artificial perfume, Will's own scent beneath it was intimately noticeable and quite truly _lovely_ ; a superb natural vetiver scent, bitterish, earthy and clean. And it was blended with Will's subtly fragranced soap and hair products, hints of their fabric softener that clung to his layers of clothes and finally the outdoor elements, an emanation of crisp cold and traces of petrichor from when the wind stirred and unsettled the trees on its way to the open landscape.

Overall, Will smelled wonderful, a result largely attributed to his good health, the absence of stress, lack of self-neglect and forbidden cheap aftershave.

Hannibal stopped playing the piano then and turned his head to look at Will. The younger man had removed his coat, winter hat, gloves and scarf in the foyer, leaving him in a dark long sleeve sweater, blue jeans and brown boots as he walked across the living room. His rich chocolate colored curls were mildly untidy from the removal of his hat, and his hair looked soft, healthy and smooth. His fair skin was visibly chilled, but the cold air had also rendered his nose and mouth an alluring shade of raspberry red, and the paleness and red contrasted the blue-green color of his eyes, dark trim facial hair and eyelashes very fetchingly.

The word _lovely_ again came to mind for Hannibal, and then a string of other complimentary adjectives quickly followed; _exquisite, stunning, ravishing, entrancing, mesmerizing, gorgeous…_ but none would fall from his lips. Hannibal hadn't yet found a context in which he might slip any such words in when conversing with Will, and he doubted he ever would, because their relationship was many things, but it was not _that_.

It didn't take away from the fact that Will looked as excellent as he smelled though, and Hannibal's mouth felt quite dry for it, but still tasted bitter with melancholy when he spoke,

"How was your walk?" he enquired politely and evenly.

Will only glanced at him from where he'd stopped at the living room bar, but then, he always seemed to avoid looking properly into Hannibal's face since the fall,

"…uh, refreshing, maybe…?" he huffed out a soft laugh, "If I don't take into consideration that it's far too cold and windy to be taking leisure walks in the first place." his words sounded like a complaint, but his tone was neither irritable nor displeased, just neutral.

Will always sounded neutral recently.

And it was frustrating, because it gave Hannibal no indication of how the younger man was feeling about anything, and it'd been that way ever since the fall, as if Will had lowered his former guard walls, but had erected new ones.

Since they'd gone into hiding, they'd become personally comfortable with one another, their mutual need and desire to be around and with one another had been acknowledged and realized, an emotional bond established.

They'd adapted well to living together, becoming accustomed to one another's routines quickly and compromising where they needed to. They still had conversations that were in depth and full of metaphor and philosophy and psychology, but they never talked about the past. Ever. It was Will's preference not to, so Hannibal acquiesced. They shared chores such as cleaning and cooking and shopping, and they also had their individual rec activities, their personal time spent apart.

They slept in separate rooms across the hall from each other, and while neither of them ever locked their doors, they also never ventured into one another's bedrooms. Hannibal still occasionally touched Will, but only in the ways he always had, with a hand settled on his shoulder or a light, fleeting touch to his arm or back. He no longer ever attempted to touch Will's face or neck though, and the younger man hardly ever stood close enough for him to do so anyway. In that way, as well as that Will made less eye contact with Hannibal than he had used to, little things about their former relationship had disappointingly changed. But Hannibal was at least relieved that Will no longer pretended to be something he wasn't, and they had a mutual agreement that one day, when everything died down, when the Chesapeake Ripper became old news with authorities and media, that they would begin to hunt together and would kill again.

Will had truly embraced his change, his darkness…he'd become exactly what he was meant to be.

And the fact that Hannibal's teacup had gathered itself back up should have been endlessly gratifying, because it was exactly what he'd wanted…but unfortunately, having not foreseen himself falling in _love_ with Will, such a terribly banal and trite human emotion that he had sorely underestimated the power of, had made him unable to completely enjoy having Will…because he didn't really _have_ Will. Not in _every way_.

He couldn't…or at least, he didn't know if he could.

It was not a subject they'd ever talked about or had even mentioned, because Hannibal wasn't sure what kind of reaction Will would have to him bringing it up. And if Will suspected that Hannibal had a non-platonic interest in him, he was doing his highly convincing best to hide it, because Hannibal honestly didn't have a clue of where he stood with Will regarding a romantic sexual relationship between them, he also had no idea where Will stood on homosexuality in general, let alone on the idea of homosexuality involving himself.

And every single time Hannibal considered bringing it up, he'd stop himself, positively loathing the fact that he was too _afraid_ to upset Will. He worried that if Will learned of his interest and then thought that Hannibal _required_ that particular nature of a relationship with him, then he would choose to leave…and Hannibal wouldn't stop him if he did, because they were beyond the point of forcing and drugging and manipulating, Will was his equal in their new lives and if he wanted to leave, Hannibal would let him.

"Something bothering you?" Will asked, the question followed by the tinking of glass against glass as he poured himself a shot of whiskey. His tone was sincerely curious, as if he honestly wanted to know what was distracting Hannibal but had no guesses or assumptions about what it could be.

Hannibal had been staring absently at the fireplace, but he glanced at Will when the younger man asked his question and he swallowed lightly when Will raised an eyebrow at him, before he turned his attention back to the piano keys, gliding his fingers over the smooth ivorite pieces without applying pressure,

"No." he lied. And couldn't Will tell?

Apparently not, because the younger man just let the subject drop, inhaling softly and rubbing a hand over his neatly kept beard as he walked back across the living room, over to where Hannibal sat. He came close enough that it was impossible for Hannibal not to subtly inhale more of his delectable scent. Will leaned his hip against the piano at the side of the keyboard, another action that made it impossible for Hannibal not to trail his eyes up over the lean lines of Will's jean clad, well-shaped legs, to his narrow waist and then his fit upper body, the pale column of his neck and defined line of his jaw. Hannibal's eyes stopped at Will's appealing red-hued mouth, the younger man's lips were damp with whiskey, the lingering traces of which were quickly swiped away when Will licked his lips.

Hannibal's mouth always tasted bitter and he had no appetite…up until any moment where Will was filling his senses, and then he would find himself ravenously hungry. Perhaps Bedelia had been right, perhaps his feelings for Will had always been heading in the direction of obsession, of a need so insatiable he would not be able to overcome it…perhaps that was just the way Hannibal loved.

Totally and with the need to possess and consume.

"It's beautiful outside though," Will said with a small smile as he looked from his whiskey to the large wall of windows, "especially down the path to the woods…so I guess it's worth braving the cold." he decided before taking another sip of his drink. And all Hannibal could think was that Will would definitely look stunning against the backdrop of Sweden's snow blanketed mountains and trees, and that he might like to draw such a visualization.

"You should walk with me sometime, Hannibal. You barely go outside." Will pointed out as if it were not blatantly obvious that Hannibal frequently chose to avoid spending their leisure time together, "I've never run into anyone on the paths since we've been here, so I doubt anyone would see you." he reassured.

Hannibal blinked passively, thinking ' _Ah_ ', when he realized that Will believed he avoided going outside because he was concerned about being seen. But honestly, Hannibal didn't totally buy that.

Will was too smart, observant and perceptive to really believe it was just that, it made far more sense to Hannibal that Will was purposely pretending there was no 'elephant in the room' _,_ as they say.

But was it because he also had no idea how to address it, or was it because he simply didn't want to open the door to that kind of interaction or discussion between them?

"Perhaps I shall." Hannibal answered flatly, plainly non-committal, and he kept his gaze fixed on the piano keys as he tried to stamp down the frustration he felt at the continued avoidance of the subject and the emotional upset it was causing him. It made him angry to think that while they'd become totally transparent with everything elsesince the fall, they remained in the dark over that one thing. And yes, it was no small thing, it was very complicated, but it made no sense not to address it, not to get some clarity on the issue.

Hannibal really just wanted it out of the way, and all he needed was a yes or no. He was starting to think that knowing where Will stood would really be the only way for him to accept whatever the outcome would be, so that he could get over it. Then they could move on together with clarity, still partners, still one another's other half, but without the unanswered questions and frustrations between them. Hannibal had no intention of ever pushing Will away if he wasn't interested in being romantically involved, not at all, he just needed to at least _know._

Because with Will being all he could think about, it was sucking the joy and beauty out of everything for him.

Deciding he wasn't going to avoid it anymore, Hannibal stood up, and he rose off the piano bench on the side where Will stood, bringing them into close proximity, with just about a foot of space and the corner of the keyboard edge between them. Will didn't move away, didn't seem uncomfortable or affected either way, he simply remained leaning there against the piano, slowly twirling the whiskey tumbler in his hand with his head turned and his gaze focused on the view of night falling outside over the snowed over landscape.

He seemed completely relaxed, Hannibal couldn't detect any hints of stress or anxiety, discomfort or nervousness.

And it was aggravating to no end that he had no way of knowing whether his close presence affected Will, he was never able to tell because Will never seemed uncomfortable about anything, but he never seemed happy either. It was as if he was permanently in a state of neutrality and Hannibal _detested_ it. But even though it was such an insipid state of being, one that Hannibal would usually be unable to stand, the behavior still didn't make the younger man any less fascinating or desirable, it didn't take away from his alluring darkness or his complex brilliance. What it did do though, was leave Hannibal guessing and unsure and uncertain with regards to the more sensitive and delicate areas of their relationship, and that had to come to an end.

Hannibal was staring at Will's side profile and the younger man noticed it, but when he turned to look at Hannibal, who didn't look away, Will didn't acknowledge it,

"Do you want me to help you make dinner?" he offered, since they often cooked together in recent months. Hannibal kept his expression unreadable as he slid his gaze away to his wine glass. He picked it up, sipped from it and then set it back down, swallowing the liquid with some effort and licking his lips before he answered,

"Of course, it's always a pleasure when you join me in the kitchen, Will." which was absolutely true, it was just about the only way Hannibal enjoyed cooking any more, having Will moving around with him in easy synchronicity. Will did a thing then, that Hannibal identified as being Will's barest acknowledge of a compliment or kind word, where the younger man smiled close lipped and raised his eyebrows, before he changed the subject,

"What did you have in mind to cook tonight?" he asked, inclining his head as he raised his eyes, making proper eye contact with Hannibal for a moment, something that had become a rarity.

And Hannibal's already diminishing patience broke then, and abruptly, he decided that finding out where Will stood with him romantically was no longer imminent but immediate, he needed the answer right then.

Without thinking it through, Hannibal leaned in, the intention behind his action impossible to misconstrue, and Will audibly held his breath, lowering his eyes to watch Hannibal's mouth as he dipped his head at the necessary angle so that he could brush their noses together for only a second before their lips touched. And not wanting the kiss to be too chaste, because he'd been patient for so long, Hannibal parted his mouth slightly over Will's top lip, lightly tracing it with his tongue and gently sucking...

…and **oh** , Will's nose was _cold_ where it brushed and pressed against his own nose and cheek, such a subtle and unexpected sensation but Hannibal felt the effect of it at his core. He felt shaken from it, felt _starved_ for more and so he pressed forward for a firmer kiss…but Will drew back quickly and separated their mouths with a soft smack.

Then, with his head lowered and a tense exhale, Will stepped back to put distance between them, leaving Hannibal feeling even more shaken as the ache of _rejection_ rushed into his limbs, replacing the brief spike of need and pleasure he'd felt at kissing Will's warm, moist lips, with an uncomfortable burn and rigidity in his body.

They stood in silence then, now an additional half foot apart, and Hannibal looked right at Will even as the younger man didn't look at him. He waited to see what would happen, wanted to see what Will would do or hear what he would say, he was waiting for the younger man to just outright tell him 'no' in some way, or to voice his disgust if his heterosexuality meant that much to him and Hannibal had just seriously offended him.

But Will –frustratingly- did nothing like that, he had no definitive reaction that Hannibal could find closure in.

Instead, with his eyes still lowered, he just calmly said,

"I'll be in my bedroom, let me know when you're ready to make dinner." and then he set his unfinished drink down on the piano lid and dragged his fingers over it as he took another step back before turning around and walking away.

And while the light tremor in his voice was still too vague to be an answer for Hannibal, the fact that Will wiped his hand once firmly over his mouth as he walked away, was offensive enough that it hurt Hannibal, and feeling hurt made him feel disgusted with himself for his own weakness.

But it also made the decision for him that he would back off.

Will was straight and their relationship was platonic, that was just how it had to remain.

* * *

They didn't talk about it or mention it at all.

In fact, from the moment they saw one another again in the kitchen an hour after Hannibal's rejected advance, Will had pretended as if it'd never happened, and so Hannibal had done the same.

Doing so was a complete contradiction to the way he usually functioned, after all, he'd never been the type to avoid an issue or pussyfoot around someone else, but Will was precious to him in ways that were inimitable and so it made him tentative about confronting what had happened, especially since he didn't know whether Will would appreciate him bringing it up, or if it'd just make him withdraw into himself.

So Hannibal continued to keep his feelings on the issue to himself, and even though Will was aware of how he felt now, it was actually a little easier to go through his day since the younger man had rejected him, because he was less uncertain of the nature of their relationship.

And it went well for a while after Hannibal had smoothed out his own personal wrinkles and had accepted things for how they were. He started to enjoy the little things again, all mixed in with Will's company of course…

…but as if it were inevitable, considering the lack of proper closure on the issue, just five or so months later, Hannibal slipped up, finding he was unable to help himself in the heat of the moment.

* * *

He and Will had decided that it was time to put long pig back on the menu at the twelve month mark, agreeing that whenever they found their first 'appropriate' victim, they'd take their meat carefully and keep it simple and clean, no displays of blood or gore, no body and no evidence to be found.

And so, one cold –but not snowing- early spring morning, Hannibal and Will drove into town together where they planned to spend the day browsing stores and shopping, as much for purchasable items as for a victim. And it didn't even take long before they came upon a suitable person.

It was after noon, just an hour or so after they'd had lunch at a decent bistro, that a young man brought himself to their attention. At the time, they'd been in a chocolatier shop making purchases, and Will had stumbled over his still sketchy command of the Swedish language while making his order, at which time the young man had rudely referred to Will as an 'ignorant westerner', and had grumbled about how he and Hannibal were holding up the queue. If that weren't already reason enough to kill him, he'd been even ruder by mumbling ' _bögjävel'_ under his breath when he'd seen Hannibal paying for the expensive selection of chocolate that Will had picked out.

Will hadn't understood the colloquial Swedish term at the time when it'd been directed at him…

* * *

…but it was later in the week presently, after they'd abducted and then killed the sorry son of a bitch, and had just finished cleaning out his torso cavity of all edible organs, that Will decided to casually ask about what it meant, and so Hannibal casually answered that it basically translated as 'faggot'.

And in that moment, after clarifying that word for the younger man, the atmosphere became very tense and still, and Hannibal actually found it to be almost awkward, making him pause in packing the meat into their cooler bag to look over at Will's suddenly static state. They were out in the woods in a location they'd previously decided would serve as a nice isolated murder site, both of them were wearing their custom made plastic body suits and had been, up until that point, in fairly good spirits.

The pleasantness died away immediately though when Will started laughing somewhat loudly, humorlessly, and certainly with a bitter edge to it. Hannibal observed him curiously, his gaze settled on the younger man where he was stood over the dead body lying on a plastic tarp on the ground, the brunette still holding his shiny new, blood stained hunting knife in his plastic tight grip…and then completely out of nowhere, without any sign of an oncoming fit of rage, Will stopped his huffy, wheezing laugher and snarled quite aggressively before he began kicking at the mutilated corpse with extreme violence.

Hannibal watched him passively, and was disappointed to realize that Will's violent reaction to the translated word still lacked conclusiveness with regards to where the younger man stood on homosexuality, and on his feelings toward being classified, or referenced to, as one. Was he angry because he'd been pegged as gay? Or was he angry about the derogatory term used? Angry because it was insulting or angry because he took it personally?

Or was he just **angry** in general?

His behavior was just too gray.

And Hannibal was hard pressed not to allow his former frustration on the issue to rear up all over again.

He watched Will go ape-shit for a full minute, the younger man relentlessly kicking the dead Swede's body with little coordination and a lot of grunting, and when it continued to drag on too long, Hannibal decided to intervene,

"Will…" he said audibly and calmly as he walked away from the cooler box and approached the venting brunette who was breaking the bones of the corpse and making a royal mess of his suit and the tarp.

Hannibal stopped a few feet behind him, waiting to see if Will would run out of steam on his own, but when he began stomping on the cadaver's head with renewed vigor, Hannibal knew he had to physically intervene. He stepped up behind Will then, and it was just in time too, because wearing the plastic suit and standing on the tarp meant there was zero traction against the slick of blood and gore that was messed all over, and Will fell backwards after only his second attempted skull cracking stomp.

Hannibal caught him easily under his arms and took on the weight of Will's body against his own, wrapping his arms around Will's torso firmly, more or less holding the younger man up. Panting heavily and through clenched teeth, red faced and still seething, Hannibal was amazed that Will didn't struggle against him or try to get back to assaulting the corpse. Instead, his entire body relaxed -as much as it could after all the exertion- and the younger man leaned back against him, Will's head falling back onto Hannibal's shoulder as he unclenched his teeth and forced himself to take in slower, deeper breaths in an attempt to calm down.

Hannibal was unable to help that he found the sight and closeness of Will like that, leaned against him, out of breath and all worked up, incredibly appealing and erotic. And with his head leaned back on Hannibal's shoulder, his pale unblemished neck was bared and Hannibal could feel the deep inhales and exhales that Will made…and he realized his own breathing was increasing as he became mildly aroused.

Will's anger smelled like flint, sharp and peppery and somewhat stifling at such close proximity and Hannibal almost forgot himself – about to bury his nose in Will's hair and just breathe in deeply-, when Will spoke,

"Okay…okay, I'm fine, Hannibal, I'm, I'm calm…" Will breathed out shakily, taking back his balance before he stepped away from Hannibal –who was forced to let him go- and stood on his own. Will was too interested in looking down at the corpse to notice that Hannibal had been affected by him, "… _fuck_ …" the younger man cursed, and then huffed out a laugh, "…that is so fucked up." he laughed a bit more then and leaned over with his hands on his knees as he took a closer look at what he'd done to the dead body in his anger.

Hannibal was still quietly reeling from the heady intake he'd just had of Will's pure, untainted scent, experienced from so close to his bared neck, where his pulse had been racing and fresh sweat had sheened his skin and Hannibal was having trouble restraining his desire right then.

And when Will stood up straight and turned around to face him, his plastic covered shoes sticking to the blood on the tarp, and he was still breathing somewhat heavily, his curls sweated down and clinging in dark ringlets to his fair skin as he looked at Hannibal directly in his eyes, that same thread of restraint that had broken the last time, snapped again.

Hannibal leaned in to kiss Will before he even had a chance to consider the repercussions, and he was more intent on it that time, so when he sealed his mouth over Will's, he brought his hands up and pulled the younger man closer to him by his upper arms.

And because Will's mouth had been open from his heavy breathing, Hannibal didn't hesitate to slide his tongue past the warm slip of Will's lips, boldly licking into the younger man's mouth. Will's breathing rattled when he did, sounding immensely strained, which contradicted the fact that he felt Will respond to him, the brunette sliding his tongue into Hannibal's mouth in a quick, rushed stroke. But even as slight as it was, it turned Hannibal's blood to fire for that wet, delicious second, and _yearning_ surged through him as he roughly pulled Will even closer, parting his lips wider over the younger man's to lick into his mouth another time…

…and then Hannibal finally received the definitive answer he'd been seeking from Will.

It came in the form of an unpleasant groan from Will as he turned his face away to break off the kiss, and also in the way that he placed his hands on Hannibal's shoulders and _shoved_ him backward, and the most definitive point of all was Will's shaken words,

"D-don't do that…again," he panted in an unsettled and displeased tone of voice and he looked right at Hannibal that time, while Hannibal found himself unable to meet Will's eyes, "… **don't** , okay? Hannibal?" Will demanded an answer with quiet but harsh insistence.

"Of course. I apologize," Hannibal responded automatically and as evenly as he could, "it won't happen again." Still, he was unable to keep the strain of emotion out of his tone and he hated it, but he was hurt and he was too thrown by the immensity of said hurt, to be able to conceal it right away.

He was immediately furious with himself as well, not just for slipping up, but because the entire concept of _loving_ Will had been hurting him ever since he'd been locked up in the institute all those years ago, when he'd found out Will had remarried and had finally been forced to face how much the younger man actually meant to him.

And it made him _sick_ and angry with himself for being so weak, so out of his reigns.

Hannibal heard the sound of Will unzipping his plastic suit and he glanced up to watch –with an ache in his chest- as the younger man extracted his arm from it to wipe hastily at his mouth with his canvas jacket sleeve.

And then as he panted out clouds of white breath, Will hurriedly shoved the suit down over his hips and legs and then stepped out of it completely, his eyes once again settling on Hannibal,

"…okay…I'm gonna'…" Will averted his eyes to the ground as he hopped and stepped off the bloody tarp, carefully avoiding the mess he'd made, "…I'll, uh, wait in the car, if you can m-manage here?" he asked, but was already walking and half stumbling backwards away from the scene.

But even with the extra work he would have to do, Hannibal just nodded.

And when Will turned and walked away quickly, soon gone out of sight, Hannibal closed his eyes for a moment, took in a deep breath, forced down the nausea he felt and then opened his eyes again to glance over the tarp and corpse, before he set to work cleaning up their crime scene.

And finally, he was able to _definitively_ say he would **never** make an advance on Will again.

* * *

At the seventeen month mark, Hannibal and Will were decidedly comfortable living in Sweden, confident that they were safely unknown by anything other than their false identities. And they were fairly hidden away in their countryside house surrounded by forest and snow and inclines, while having access to the small city of Skellefteå a half hour's drive away for whenever they needed anything.

And as far as they knew the FBI were no longer actively looking for Hannibal, likely having had to redirect their resources into catching other killers after so long, and he and Will both agreed that if they kept their kills infrequent, tidy and untraceable, they would continue to be able to enjoy the pleasures of their shared darkness without any cause for concern.

So life was good, and things had been going well enough between them.

Hannibal had established himself as a psychiatrist in the small town a few months earlier and Will 'worked for him' as his receptionist at the small practice. They still got on well, better and better with each day that passed, and once again, they'd never mentioned or brought up the second kiss incident.

And really, due to the blatancy of the rejection, Hannibal was not only glad to never have it brought up, but he had been able to move completely past it.

So even though he still felt that way for Will, he'd accepted that any kind of a romantic relationship between them was impossible. They would always just remain platonic partners and friends.

And being as that was the decided nature of his and Will's relationship, Hannibal deemed himself 'available', which by his definition, meant he was open to a sexual opportunity should one he was interested in present itself.

So as it happened, one Wednesday afternoon, when a woman that Hannibal had come to know quite well in their time living in Skellefteå, who had often flirted with him, came to see him at his practice, Hannibal invited her to join him in his office so that they could talk, since he was in between patient's right then. She was the manager of the local museum and she'd stopped by to find out whether he would be attending the fund raiser the museum would be hosting soon, and as per usual, her flirtation as they talked was just over the line of subtle but was still reasonably appealing, and considering his 'availability', Hannibal didn't see any reason to brush her off.

She was an attractive woman, younger than him, likely in her mid-thirties. She had dark blonde shoulder length hair, was well-built and well-groomed and polished, and she had a vibrant smile that was full of bright white veneers. A lovely smile that expressed the promise of passion and satisfactory sex whenever she directed it at Hannibal in a certain way, and that was really all he would need her for should he ever feel like pursuing what she offered, and so he flirted back, just in case.

She was immediately receptive to his returned flirtation, since he'd never bothered to show interest before, and he barely made an effort before she was giggling and leaning closer to him as they discussed the fund raiser, the hint of the fact that she didn't have a date yet was slipped in quite casually too. And as she laughed quietly at something he said, Hannibal was aware of her stepping closer still, and of her hand sliding slowly down over his upper arm as she looked up at him and smiled in a sultry way that revealed she was open to being kissed…

The door to his office opened then, interrupting them, and Will –who had been out getting lunch- stepped inside. Britta, that was the younger woman's name, didn't step away from him when Will entered, and she really had no reason to, in fact, neither did Hannibal. But with the look that Will gave him and then Britta, a look that was unmistakably threatening, Hannibal felt very confused.

Will looked beyond unimpressed and he was openly glaring at them.

"You have an appointment in fifteen minutes." Will said icily, voice misleadingly calm, while laced with an undertone of ire. Hannibal, not really sure of what exactly had made Will so upset, decided it was best not to find out right then, so he turned to Britta with a polite smile,

["](www)Britta, jag kommer att se till att ringa dig så att vi kan diskutera detaljer i fondraiser när jag är klar med mina möten för dagen." he said evenly and then gestured to the door.

She smiled at him flirtatiously, uncaring of Will glaring at her,  
["](www)Okej, jag ska prata med dig senare." she said equally polite, but added in a discreet wink before she walked to the door that Will was still holding open. Hannibal was expecting Will to let her out, close the door and then tell him what he was upset about, but instead…Will followed her out and shut the door after himself.

Hannibal was even more confused then. But he figured that Will would be back soon to tell him whatever it was that had happened to piss him off. In the meantime, somewhat concerned, he retrieved his tablet from his desk and went on to the internet to make sure his and Will's name were nowhere in the headlines. And he was still searching when he heard the reception door open and close…but Will still didn't come into the main office.

Frowning at Will's strange behavior, Hannibal set his tablet down and walked across his office –far smaller than the one he'd had in Baltimore- and he opened the door to the reception area where Will's desk and the waiting room was.

Will was sitting at his desk, drinking coffee and doing something on his laptop and when Hannibal stepped out, he looked up calmly, adjusted his spectacles on his nose and raised his eyebrows.

"Mister Lindholm isn't late, he still has five minutes." the younger man said evenly, "He's almost seventy, so give him a break..." Will said with a smirk and then turned his attention back to his computer.

Hannibal narrowed his eyes and fought the urge to say something snarky about Will's volatile and odd behavior, but instead of opening up another can of complicated, moody little Will-worms, Hannibal just took a quiet breath, let it out, turned around and went back into his office, closing the door behind himself.

* * *

It was later, at the end of that day after Will had already left the office –because they never arrived or left work together-, when Hannibal called Britta about the fundraiser, that he realized something was off.

Britta had been blatantly and overly professional when speaking to him, as if she were specifically avoiding flirting or familiarity, and by the end of the call, when they'd hung up with no further talks of getting to know one another better or attending the fundraiser together, Hannibal could only assume that her sudden one-eighty had something to do with Will.

So when he arrived home forty five minutes later, Hannibal removed his coat in the foyer and made his way to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of wine. He didn't acknowledge Will, who had started dinner and was preparing two raw steaks with seasoning, and instead he just walked to the fridge, proceeding to retrieve a bottle of wine before crossing the kitchen to the glass cabinet.

"Are you fine with having steaks in red wine sauce for dinner?" Will asked pointlessly, since he was already making it. But, no, Hannibal didn't mind, it was one of the dishes Will excelled at making and he was always pleased when Will decided to cook for them unprompted and unassisted. It was a rare thing that he only did when he felt like it, or when he felt like being overly nice, which, Hannibal realized as he finished pouring himself wine, was really suspicious.

Hannibal scented his wine, sipped it, and then turned to look at Will, watching the brunette as he moved from the counter to the stove, where he set the steaks into the preheated skillet with a fork and they began to sizzle quietly. Hannibal doubted there was anything as excellent in existence as the blended scents of rich wine, good food and **Will** , all in one intimate space with him. And he had to force himself not to vividly imagine all of the ways in which he'd love to sample Will's various flavors, even as he trailed his eyes over the younger man's lean, fit body, clothed in a powder blue button down shirt, which was rolled up at the sleeves, and worn with a slim fit black pants and leather oxfords.

It took some effort for Hannibal to look away from Will, and only once he had, did he ask,

"What did you say to Britta Enberg today?" because Will had to have said something to her, it was the only thing that made any sense with regards to her sudden change in behavior.

Will had moved to the sink to rinse his hands, and when he shut the running faucet off, Hannibal looked at him and found Will frowning lightly. The younger man grabbed a nearby folded dish cloth,

"What?" he asked almost distractedly, watching his hands as he dried them.

Hannibal sipped his wine and then briefly lowered his eyes to the red liquid before looking at Will again,

"Your behavior this afternoon was peculiar, but I didn't ask you about it because I assumed you'd rather I didn't." he admitted, since he'd been making the effort for a while already not to over-involve himself in every nuance of Will's life and doings, because it was easier for Hannibal that way, keeping some distance between them. "But after speaking to Britta on the phone this evening, I find myself convinced that whatever had you in such a mood this afternoon had to do with her, and I'd like you to explain to me exactly what you said to her after you both left my office." he wasn't asking either, and he let Will know that with the firmness of his tone.

Oddly enough, Will tensed up and his ears became slightly red as he pursed his lips, avoiding looking directly at Hannibal as he tossed the dish cloth on the counter top. His reaction baffled Hannibal quite a bit, because if something was wrong, if there was something worrying Will, then he would be spitting it out, not hedging...and he certainly wouldn't be embarrassed or shy about it.

"Will." Hannibal prompted, and the younger man sighed irritably before he spoke,

"I just…I told her…" he blinked a few times and folded his arms across his chest as he leaned back against the sink, staring at the far wall and lowering his voice as he went on, "…I told her to back off." he clenched his jaw.

Hannibal blinked passively at him, finding that that explanation didn't make any sense.

What reason did Will have to tell her to back off?

"I don't understand, Will, was she asking suspicious questions about who we are?" Hannibal frowned lightly.

Will laughed then, a tense huffing sound as he frowned and shook his head, still staring at the wall,

"No, Hannibal, I told her…I _informed_ her…that we live together," he awkwardly cleared his throat, "and that she needs to…to back off from…" he paused, hesitating before he said,"…from you, and to stop _throwing_ herself at you every chance she gets." he added the last part in a hurried manner and with notable distaste in his voice.

Hannibal stared at Will calmly, but in his mind palace, it was as if Will had just kicked in the door Hannibal had sealed shut several months ago, behind which he'd locked away the mess of his intimate and romantic feelings for the younger man, because Will's words were nothing short of confounding.

And Hannibal felt the return of those god-awful 'butterflies' and their accompanying nausea and ache as he tried to puzzle out why Will would tell Britta that they were living together. Surely he knew what that implied…or is that what he'd intended to imply by telling her to back off? Had Will wanted Britta to believe they were a couple? And if so, for what reason?

It all made absolutely no sense, and remaining outwardly calm, all Hannibal could think to ask was,

"Why?" because maybe knowing why would shine some light on the gray –always gray- situation.

And unexpectedly, Will became glaringly transparent for a moment, his eyes becoming bright and angry with hurt as his face twitched into a deep frown and he gripped the sink with his hands on either side of him,

" _Why_?" he repeated, huffing out another short laugh and shaking his head as he glanced at Hannibal, "Because, Hannibal…how would you like it if I flirted with other people?" he asked harshly.

And Hannibal just stared at him, nonplussed.

Because while he knew it'd hurt for him to know Will was interested in sex with another person, he wouldn't attempt to stop it, because they were not together that way. And as long as whoever they slept with didn't interfere with what they had together, with the unique kind of intimacy they shared, then Hannibal would accept it, just as he'd accepted everything else that made up his relationship with Will.

But he didn't say any of that.

And when Will just sighed exasperatedly and walked out of the kitchen, the sizzling steaks forgotten on the stove top, Hannibal didn't bother to call him back. Because he simply just didn't have anything to say, how could he when he didn't even understand what Will was thinking or feeling or doing half the time?

He shook his head lightly, deciding that he would not be asking about it again, it would just be another thing he'd let go of for the sake of Will not being upset. With that settled, Hannibal sipped his wine and then set the glass down on the counter before he went to retrieve his apron, since he was now left to complete the preparation of dinner.

* * *

Predictably, they pretended that the conversation in the kitchen had never happened, and it was all well and good to ignore the problem, just as they'd been ignoring all of the tension building up steadily between them since the first kiss. But it was all bound to come to a head at some point.

And it did, on a windy and mildly chilly Sunday morning a few weeks later, when Hannibal returned home after not having done so the Saturday evening prior.

He was fully dressed in his black suit from the previous night, but was freshly showered and groomed, and he'd only just removed his coat and hung it up on the coat rack when Will walked into the foyer and demanded,

"Where the fuck were you?"

And Hannibal was struck speechless by the rude greeting, the underlying fury and anxiety in Will's question nearly enough to make him gape at its _absurdity_ as he regarded the younger man glaring at him.

Will looked like he'd barely slept, if he even had at all. His curls were a royal greasy mess, as if he'd been running his hands through his hair excessively, and his T-shirt and jeans were creased and far too day worn for it being so early in the morning, which likely meant that Will was still wearing his clothes from the day before, and if he'd slept in them, he'd probably done so very restlessly.

" _Answer me_ , Hannibal." Will's voice was straining as he stepped closer, his bare feet patting softly on the wood flooring and his fists clenching tightly at his sides. Hannibal parted his lips with his tongue and gave Will another slow once over, before he approached slowly, making Will tense up in anticipation of something, but then Hannibal just sidestepped and passed him, walking into the living room.

Proceeding to remove his suit jacket as he stepped up to the nearest sofa back, he took in a silent breath in preparation to deal with Will's latest mood swing,

"I don't believe that's any of your business, Will, since you are not my keeper, and I am not yours." and really, he could have just answered the damn question, because where he'd been wasn't even something he had intended to keep a secret, but Hannibal found himself irritated by Will's confusing, ridiculous, contradictory behavior and rudeness. Everything had been too all over the place for too long and he just wasn't in the mood to play nice right then.

He laid his suit jacket neatly over the back of the armchair, leaving him in a teal button down shirt and black suit pants, before he walked over to the bar and proceeded to pour himself a shot of whiskey. When Will quietly padded into the living room, Hannibal had the intention of offering to pour a shot for him too.

But then Will derailed his calm, collected mood completely when he quietly asked,

"Did you fuck Britta Enberg?" and the leftfield question assaulted Hannibal's ears as though a drum cymbal had just been hit in the silent room.

Carefully and with a light frown, Hannibal set the tumbler and whiskey bottle down on the bar top before he turned to face Will properly, perplexed all over again by exactly why such a thing would upset Will so much.

And for once, too tired to deal with the pattern of avoidance, Hannibal just flat out asked,

"If I did, why exactly would you be so upset about it, Will?"

And Will had the audacity to look incredulous, as if Hannibal had just told him he wanted to become a vegetarian.

But while the look Will gave him seemed misplaced, the younger man's answer was staggeringly sincere,

"Because it's _cheating_." Will breathed out, and then rubbed a hand over his face as he took another step closer, looking at Hannibal then with confusion, "We're together, aren't we, Hannibal?" Hannibal just stared at him, "This thing…" Will gestured between them with a frown, "…it's a relationship… _isn't it_?"

Will continued to breathe shakily, but Hannibal had stopped breathing for the moment…because finally, **finally** , he was given a glimpse of where he stood with Will. And realizing the nature of his predicament made Hannibal frown quite a bit deeper than he usually did, because now that he knew what was going on in the younger man's head and with his feelings, Hannibal didn't know how or what to feel about it.

Will appeared genuinely upset though, he looked as though he was really contending with the betrayal of being 'cheated' on as he continued to frown and fidget and glare in confusion at Hannibal.

And while Hannibal was still processing the unforeseen revelation that Will had just slapped him with, the brunette took a few steps closer and then dealt another verbal slap,

"Sex, right?" Will threw a hand out to the side, "This...this is about s-sex for you." he sounded defeated. And once again, Hannibal just stared at him. "Is that it, Hannibal? Do we need to be fucking each other before we classify what we have as being a _real_ relationship?" he was shaking his head wearily.

And really, the worst part about Will's sudden eagerness to unburden himself, to talk and ask and clarify and confess, was that he was being so damn sincere and emotional about it.

Realizing the value in that, and not wanting to let the opportunity for transparency on the subject pass, after a tense swallow, Hannibal forced himself to open his mouth and respond,  
"Will…you do realize that this is the first time we're addressing this, up until this poi-…"

"Answer me, just…just answer me…please?" Will sighed and then dragged his hands over the lower half of his face before speaking again, "Is it about sex? Do you need there to be that sort of…physical intimacy between us?"

Hannibal took a contemplative breath then, gathering his thoughts and feelings about what he'd just realized Will had assumed was going on between them. And only once he felt surer of his own view point on the situation, did he answer,

"It isn't a need, Will, nor a requirement. What this entire situation actually is, is a convoluted misunderstanding."

"Misun-…what?" Will frowned irritably and shook his head.

Hannibal stopped frowning and his expression eased into something more diplomatic,

"Before right now, I was completely unaware that you considered us to be in a relationship, Will." he admitted plainly before Will could get even more upset. And the younger man was the one confused now, shaking his head still, because he didn't understand, so Hannibal clarified, "Even before the first time I kissed you, I didn't realize that that was how you viewed our partnership. At the time, I was actually attempting to determine the nature of our relationship by kissing you."

Will went ahead and paled then, his eyes widening and breath catching, but that only lasted about two seconds before the brunette flushed red with hints of embarrassment, but mostly with anger as he narrowed his eyes,

"But **you** …Hannibal…you are…you…"

"I am what, Will?" he calmly prompted, since Will seemed to be stuck.

"You're in…" Will took in a breath between his teeth and briefly glanced to the side, "…you're supposed to be…in…" his face twitched and he wiped a hand over his mouth before waving it around, palm up, "…in love with me…?" he posed it as a question, sounding tense and uncomfortable, as though it bothered him to have to say it out loud, "So I assumed **that** about us, because…we're," he exhaled another shaky breath, face twitching between annoyance and hurt, "we're intimate, and we are _together_ …just not….not s-sexua-…"

Hannibal closed his eyes and inhaled abruptly enough that Will immediately stopped speaking. Hearing Will say that, hearing that Will acknowledged and knew, or at least assumed to know how Hannibal felt about him, was somewhat disconcerting and unnervingly exposing. But even so, Hannibal wasn't about to deny it,

"And I am…in love with you," his mouth twitched in distaste at having to verbalize it, "but that gave me no reason to believe that you were interested in me the same way." Hannibal worked his jaw lightly, feeling uncomfortable at having that conversation with Will, even though they'd needed to talk about it for too long already.

He supposed he'd just hoped that maybe they understood one another better than that? But obviously not, because Will looked terribly confused and Hannibal felt terribly confused and they just stood quietly for a long minute then, staring at one another and trying to figure each other out, until Hannibal decided that since they'd already started into the issue, they just needed to hash it out once and for all.

"At least now, it would seem that we are finally on the same page, so I sug-…"

"N-no, Hannibal," Will interrupted him with a grimace, "we're not on the same page." Hannibal raised an eyebrow and Will made a face, "Not until you tell me why you didn't come home last night, because when you left yesterday afternoon you told me that you were just going to a gallery opening. So why did you lie?" he insisted on knowing.

And the question was so blatantly domestic that Hannibal felt equal parts disturbed and warmed by it,

"I didn't lie, I did attend a gallery opening…in Östersund." he admitted.

"Östersund?" Will breathed out, "That's _hours_ away from here…" he frowned irritably.

"Yes, I'm aware of that, as I drove there and back." Hannibal said unnecessarily in a flat tone of voice, and Will looked hurt and offended by his sarcasm, making Hannibal amend his tone when he added, "And I stayed in a hotel last night, by **myself**." he emphasized the last word, looking straight into Will's worried face.

Will didn't looked appeased by that answer though, and he swallowed tensely and shifted on his bare, pale feet, before asking the same question in a different way,

"Have you…ever slept with Britta?" his voice was quiet, face serious.

Hannibal tilted his head slightly as he regarded the younger man, having half a mind to tell Will that considering he hadn't known of their apparent relationship, even if he had slept with her or with anyone else, it would hardly be considered cheating. But Hannibal rethought saying that when he saw the genuine unease in Will's bright eyes.

He supposed that to Will, if he'd truly believed that they were in a relationship all that time, it would definitely feel like being cheated on, and after everything the younger man had given up and suffered to be there with him, Hannibal found he really didn't want to give Will any reasons to start to hate him all over again, or to have regrets of any kind.

So he answered honestly,

"No," and then just to be extra clear, he added, "I haven't been with anyone since before my incarceration in Baltimore."

Will looked very relieved to hear that, which was really a sight to behold, Hannibal actually being able to witness the extent of the younger man's feelings and emotions with regards to him…and there was even a bit of contrition in his expression, likely at having to acknowledge the extent of time in which Hannibal had gone without sex and physical touch, Will knowing that it was literally all for and because of him. Hannibal was unbothered by that detail though, sex was not as important as all that to him, and yes, he _wanted_ Will quite badly, but he was not driven by his libido or lustings, never had been, and he would never do anything that was purely sexually motivated.

He waited until the information settled in and Will had relaxed a bit before asking,

"So, are we on the same page now?"

Will just nodded unevenly.

Hannibal sighed then and was surprised to find he was developing a headache. He was completely unused to dealing with such fickle domesticity and the tedium of it was becoming a physical pain. But he didn't think for even a moment that he would rather do without it…not when it'd mean losing Will.

Will was too precious to him…

"Alright, just so that I understand," Hannibal began, "according to you, we've been in a romantic, but asexual and monogamous relationship since that night on the bluff?" and he was so focused on finding out if he had it right, that he didn't realize how condescending and belittling that question actually sounded out loud, not until he saw how mortified Will looked, his eyes becoming lightly wet, ears reddening and his jaw clenching.

It seemed to take a lot out of him to nod and rasp out,

"Yeah, more or less around that time….for _me_ …" he bit out quietly.

Hannibal regretted making Will feel bad, but he really was trying his best to navigate the unusual situation as tactfully as possible. After all, it had never been a secret that he'd always avoided working with couple's therapy, and it was because that sort of thing, the kind of thing he was faced with right then, was not his forte. He had little to no experience managing domestic problems and the knowledge of how to do so had never interested him.

Until right then, when he was regretting not knowing what to do or say to make Will stop looking at him as if he'd just run over his dog...or any dog really, considering it was Will.

It took him a moment, but he realized that a possible solution would be to meet Will halfway on the 'assumed relationship' front, _at least_ he could do that much,

"I suppose technically, that was the dynamic that we had in the beginning," and that was true enough, "but that changed for me after you turned down my initial advance." he said candidly, "And following the second…" he swallowed tensely and his mouth twitched in displeasure at the memory, "…rejection, from you," Will frowned and averted his gaze then, as if the memory hurt him too, "I accepted that we were just friends and unique partners."

Will frowned at him,

"…really?" he shook his head lightly, "After _everything_ , how could you even think we could just be _friends_?" he sounded disbelieving. Hannibal shrugged subtly,

"Because I didn't know what you felt, Will," and oh, how he despised having to repeat himself, "I didn't know if anything you felt went beyond our shared proclivity for murder and likeminded company." he wet his lips, organizing his thoughts and stamping down his irritation, "I did have the…hope, for more with you," more pathetic, sappy, humanizing words that Hannibal wanted to choke on, "but that-…"

"Yes, I know, you said…" Will interrupted, swallowing tensely, "…that it changed when I told you…never to kiss me again." he said the last part in a hurry of words and then turned away, running his hands through his untidy hair.

Hannibal remained silent, deciding to let Will speak next, but when the rumpled brunette just paced and said nothing for a while, he moved to pour himself that drink he'd originally wanted.

He didn't get to though, because before he could even turn around, Will faced him abruptly and cut a hand through the air,

"I'm not gay." he stated with a frown and Hannibal just blinked at him sedately, because yes, that was rather the problem of the entire matter, wasn't it? Will was not done making revealing declarations though, and using more hand gestures he continued, "I'm, I'm not bi, or…or like, curious and I, I never was, _never_ , not in high school or in university," more pacing, more frowning, "I never experimented with any of that." he wasn't looking at Hannibal as he ranted, "I never even thought about kissing another man at any point in my life," he huffed out a laugh, "I mean, shit…I haven't even had sex with that many women, and even with all of the time I spent…" he glanced awkwardly at Hannibal and then at the floor, "self-gratifying, it was always, _always_ linear, straightforward, heterosexual masturbation." he laid on the articulation somewhat thicker and then became awkward again, "There was never…never anything penet-…" he cleared his throat and blushed from his neck up, "…anything penetrative, in any way, ever…" he inhaled and exhaled deeply, finally making eye contact again, "…Hannibal, I'm straight."

Hannibal blinked again and wet his lips absently,

"Yes, I got that." and there he went again, being sarcastic. And again, Will looked very unimpressed by it, though apparently he still wasn't done,

"But…after you kissed me that first time…" he seemed a little calmer now though, "I had to think about it…" he went on confessing and all Hannibal could do was hear him out, "…I **had** to consider the idea of sex between us, because, because I realized then that we were not…that you were…" there was a vague gesture made for whatever Will thought Hannibal 'was', "…and that what you wanted from me, was _more_." the younger man took in another long breath then, and hesitated before taking a few steps closer to Hannibal so that they were an arms-length apart, "And I did, Hannibal, I really thought about it, but I just couldn't…" he frowned guiltily, "…that second time you kissed me, I tried…you know…right, you…" he pursed his lips, "…I tried to kiss you back…and, and I'm fucking sorry but I-…"

"And I am sorry too, Will." Hannibal cut off his longwinded and unnecessary explanation, because ultimately, the outcome of Will's need to explain himself would all amount to the same point and he was wasting his breath.

Will looked exhausted then, but certainly calmer than he had before, and Hannibal supposed that was a good thing, it meant they'd finally reached the end of the uncomfortable domestic conversation and they'd finally established a few important details that had needed to be made clear,

"I understand completely that you are decidedly heterosexual, and I have accepted that," he said honestly, and Will looked relieved, but only for a second before his empathy made him aware of the impending 'but' that Hannibal was about to add, and he frowned deeply as Hannibal went on, "however, pertaining to the asexual side of things, and by extension, the monogamy…Will…" he trailed off then, because Will looked hurt all over again.

"You need it…you need us to be sexual in order for you to be with me monogamously?" he asked quietly, very seriously, his eyes drier but still faintly shiny. Hannibal took a quiet breath and clenched his fists lightly at his sides,

" _Need_ is not the correct word to use." because it really wasn't "I just do not see the point of monogamy when we would not have the responsibility of protecting one another's sexual health related vulnerabilities." he pointed out clinically.

And Will laughed softly, a sore and bitter sound that ended abruptly when the younger man dragged his hand over his mouth, his fine beard rasping softly as he looked at Hannibal and then spoke again,

"That's all monogamy means to you? Protection from catching and transferring STD's." he smiled humorlessly and only for a moment before sniffing as he looked away again. "I guess I should have expected that…" he mumbled dryly.

Hannibal knew he was missing some fundamental and vital sentiment in all of it, in the idea of monogamy, but he just didn't see things the same way other people did, and being monogamous just for the sake of the emotional factors involved didn't make sense to him. And he very much wanted to just treat the issue with logic and sense and a simple yes or no, but the more that he watched Will hurting, the angrier he became at himself for causing it and it was clouding his usually keen and clear judgment in matters of excess human emotion.

He sighed then and enquired curiously,

"What is the reason for which you would choose to permanently forfeit sex and enter into an asexual relationship with me?"

Will sniffed again then and didn't look at Hannibal when he plainly admitted,

"Because I love you, Hannibal…" and those words caused a lump to form in Hannibal's throat, bringing with it an emotional tension the likes of which he hadn't experienced in so long he'd forgotten he was capable of such a thing. He couldn't speak right then and he just stared at Will, who turned his back to him after a while, "…but even that means something different to both of us." he added quietly, and then he walked away…

…walked out of the living room and left that statement lodged in Hannibal's throat, where the lack of being able to take a breath forced wetness to collect in his auburn eyes.

* * *

Hannibal had expected his next confrontation with Will to happen in a few days or maybe even after a few weeks had passed, at which time they would probably come to an agreement on how to deal with their problem after more domestic discussion.

But he was _very_ mistaken, because it was only hours later on that same evening, that upon exiting his en-suite after having taken a shower, Hannibal was met by Will, the younger man standing at the foot of Hannibal's bed, shirtless, barefoot and wearing a plaid pajama pants. And Hannibal, stunned into stillness, stood in the bathroom doorway with his towel only just wrapped around his waist and a swell of steam floating out behind him as he stared at the brunette.

Will had his eyes down, gaze settled on the neatly made bed and Hannibal's first thought was that the younger man was sleepwalking, even though he hadn't done so in years.

Considering that, he knotted the towel firmly around his waist and then slowly approached the other man,

"Will, are you awake?" he asked evenly, voice soothing and calm so as not to startle Will, just in case.

Will's reaction was to smile sadly before he glanced at Hannibal but didn't even attempt eye contact,

"Yes, Hannibal, I'm awake." he answered quietly.

Right, so with that out of the way, the question left to ask was,

"Is everything alright, did you need something?" Hannibal ran a hand back through his wet hair and glanced over Will's still and tense form, keeping his distance at several feet.

Will shook his head and then frowned slightly,

"No…or…yes…" he nodded then and dragged his hands down over his face. When he finally spoke again it was with raised eyebrows and an air of resignation, "…I need you to be monogamous, Hannibal, because I can't stand the idea of…" he shook his head, "…of _anything_ else," Will said surely, and then looked at him, "and you need sex…with me, for that to happen…so…" Will trailed off, gesturing from himself to the bed and taking in a shaky breath as he averted his eyes again.

Hannibal didn't need him to verbally clarify his intention, honestly, what he was putting out there was very obvious. Will had decided that he was willing to trade the use of his body, in exchange for Hannibal not going out and using anyone else's. It was insulting, and a sadly vulgar and backwards way of thinking, no doubt something Will's desperation had caused him to consider after he'd worked himself into a mess in the past few hours stressing about the issue of monogamy.

Hannibal was inclined to be angry at Will for thinking that he would accept sex offered to him on such demeaning terms, as if Will's body were some sort of bargaining chip, a consolation fuck to be had only on conditions of Will's choosing. But on some level he understood what was going on in Will's head and while it was disappointing, it was also significant, because it meant that Will 'loved' him enough to sacrifice his own physical comfort in order to accommodate Hannibal. But really, even though they viewed the concepts of 'love' and monogamy differently, that did not mean Hannibal was some lecherous, sex starved and depraved halfwit.

Even just the idea of Will thinking he'd accept such an offer was _offensive_ , and the insult behind said offer made it very difficult for Hannibal not to slip onto the dangerous side of his temper. But even so, he had no desire to take that anger out on Will in any way, and that was because that's what 'love' meant to him, it meant _forever_ and _precious_ and _invaluable_. Loving Will did not mean having sex with Will, that was not how Hannibal's brain worked.

Sex had always just been sex to him, a means to an end more often than not, pleasure for pleasure's sake on other occasions. So no, sex and love and monogamy and what Will believed and thought Hannibal needed was **all** wrong.

And the monogamy problem wasn't even all that complicated, it all just came down to Hannibal making a decision.

If he _chose_ to be monogamous, it wouldn't be difficult to do, and it'd be purely because he didn't want to hurt Will. He'd actually been thinking about it all day, and had been fairly close to making his decision when he'd walked out of his bathroom to find Will standing in his bedroom, smelling of anxiety and expecting Hannibal to fuck him just because he said so.

Of all the ridiculous…

He was tempted to chastise Will, to point out his common behavior so he'd feel ashamed and then send him away, rejected…an insult for an insult as it were…but even just the idea of intentionally hurting the younger man set Hannibal's teeth on edge. So instead of being a complete bastard, he decided not to reject Will. He did however, intend to send him away, but first, he'd take a little something for himself as payback for the insult.

Deciding what he wanted, Hannibal said nothing to ease Will's anxiety as he began approaching the brunette slowly, naked but for the towel on his waist, and he was aware of the distinctive spike of stress in the younger man's scent as he came nearer. It upset Hannibal to know that he made Will nervous in that circumstance, but such was the consequence of Will being a heterosexual man.

Keeping his movements steady and slow so as not to spook Will, Hannibal moved to stand at the foot of his bed, so that it was behind him while Will was in front of him, just two feet away and within arm's reach.

Hannibal then sat down on the edge of his bed and made a show of looking over Will's upper body, starting from his narrow waist and drifting upward, he trailed his eyes first over Will's tense abdomen, committing to memory the sweet dip of his shallow navel and the fine line of dark hair below it. Further up, he looked over Will's nipples, which were semi-hard from the cool air in the room and to Hannibal they were temptingly suckable.

Forcing his gaze away from the temptation, Hannibal glanced over the full picture of Will's lean torso and arms, memorizing the lines of subtle muscle definition and sinew, visible and curved in all the right places. He took note of the quick rise and fall of Will's chest, the distinct line of his clavicle, the subtle flicker of his pulse at the side of his neck…and the shifting of his adam's apple as he swallowed nervously.

And finally, Hannibal looked up to his wide eyes, unsurprised to find Will staring off to the side.

He noticed then that there was a faint tremor moving through the younger man's body and he was so obviously uncomfortable that it was actually making Hannibal uncomfortable.

' _Best get this over with_ …' Hannibal thought, going ahead with his plan to take just the one thing he could have, if nothing else. He only wanted a memory of Will…completely naked…so that he could store it in his memory palace for when he needed to _self-gratify_ –as Will had put it-, because he was facing monogamy for the rest of his life with, but without Will, so he'd need the visual to get by.

And just like that, he'd made his decision to be monogamous, and he was happy to do it if it meant making Will happy. Hannibal was actually starting to believe there was very little he wouldn't do to make Will happy and while it was dangerous for him to so readily accept his own susceptibility, he chose to anyway.

The room was silent aside from Will's audible breathing, which accelerated even more as Hannibal brought his hands up to hover at Will's hips, and when Hannibal only just fingered the waistband of Will's pajama pants –careful not to touch his skin- Will's torso muscles immediately rippled and tightened.

And under different –properly consensual- circumstances, such a reaction to his touch by the beautiful younger man would have turned Hannibal on quite a bit. But as it were, knowing the unpleasant feelings behind Will's reaction only diminished Hannibal's already tepid arousal. He hadn't been able to help reacting to the pleasing sight of Will half naked before him, but even that was fading because the atmosphere was too negatively charged.

And when the stress and discomfort and tension spiked Will's bodily scent to a miasma so emotionally displeasing that Hannibal felt sick to his stomach, he decided he should rather just be honest about his intentions so Will could calm down and let him know whether even just that, even just letting Hannibal _see_ his beauty, was acceptable.

Because he wouldn't even take that much if Will truly didn't want to give it.

Drawing his hands away from Will and setting them on his towel covered thighs, Hannibal was very aware of how his carefully constructed walls were all crumbling to pieces at Will's feet, giving the younger man full access and reign over his inner workings. Will was breaking him down and yet wasn't even purposely **doing** anything. It was both terrifying and liberating for Hannibal to be willing to let go of the control he'd always had over his emotional feelings, and he had to wonder if Will would hurt him with it.

But he could only wonder, for he had no way of knowing.

Hannibal looked up at Will then and pursed his lips briefly before speaking,

"Will…" he said first, in order to make the brunette look at him. And it took a few seconds, but eventually the younger man managed to meet his eyes, looking down hesitantly, clearly unsettled to the point where Hannibal just wanted to put him at ease, "…please, relax. You need to understand and believe that I would _never_ take from you, that which you have no genuine desire to give me."

In complete contradiction to his obvious stress, Will immediately became upset that Hannibal wouldn't accept his offer, and only because he didn't want Hannibal to be with anyone else. So frowning, he tried to insist,

"Hannibal, weren't you listening? I'm here…and I a-…"

"Yes, Will, I know why you're here…" Hannibal calmly cut him off, "…but you do not _want_ to do this, you are here before me for the absolute wrong reasons. You're willing to force yourself to do this because you expect something from me in return…"

"Hannibal-…

"…something, Will, that I have already decided I am prepared to give you, no exchange required." he interrupted Will again, and rude though it was, it was necessary.

As his words sunk in, Will's eyes remained unblinkingly on him for several seconds and then he breathed out,

"W-what, really?"

There was disbelief in Will's voice that _irked_ Hannibal deeply, but he swallowed his irritation and managed a smile,

"You are more important to me than my ideas and concepts of sex and monogamy, Will. If you wish for us to have an asexual, monogamous relationship, then I am willing to give that to you." he said quietly and sincerely.

Will appeared stunned and he shook his head slightly as he asked,

"Why, you seemed so adamant this morning, what…what made you change your mind?"

Hannibal could think of several complicated and long winded answers to that question, but he settled for the simplest of the lot,

"For the same reason you gave me earlier..." he looked at Will, and even though he didn't verbally add the ' _because I love you'_ end part, it didn't need to be said aloud because Will would know it was what he meant.

And when the words hit home for Will, the watery, sincere and _affectionate_ smile that the younger man gave him was beyond worth it, more precious than a million human hearts would be to him. Hannibal felt that painful lump return to lodge itself in his throat and he broke eye contact, feeling overwhelmed by his emotions and choosing to stare at the navy blue plaid pattern of Will's cotton pajama pants as he tried to get himself under control.

"Thank you, Hannibal." Will said quietly and completely unnecessarily. His breathing had already calmed quite a bit and the acetic scent of his anxiety was fading, quickly being replaced by an odd mix of hormone scents that suggested Will was aroused, even when he clearly wasn't. Hannibal could only assume it was a misleading blend produced due to Will's feelings of affection and endearment, possibly some form of attraction as well, likely of the emotional kind, not the physical.

Will sniffed then and mumbled something about leaving Hannibal to sleep, taking a step backwards and turning to walk away…and it hurt Hannibal's pride gravely to actually have to ask, to want it so badly that he would allow himself to be once again at risk of Will's rejection, when a moment ago he could have taken his eyeful and then have soothed Will's anxiety afterward. But he'd already made the decision to put Will first, to make himself vulnerable to Will instead of making Will vulnerable to him, and so he would follow through on it. And since he knew it would be the dynamic of their relationship going forward, Hannibal decided he needed to get used to it.

So he reached his hand out, catching Will lightly by his wrist…and immediately the younger man tensed up again.

Will looked down at his hand first and then met Hannibal's eyes with a questioning gaze, and the words Hannibal intended to voice were pathetic enough that he had a sudden wish that he might choke on them.

All the same, he spoke anyway,

"Would you allow me, to at least…see you?" he asked quietly as he released Will's wrist, trying to take comfort in the knowledge that Will understood how his mind palace worked, and that the younger man would understand why Hannibal was asking.

Will swallowed with an audible click and blinked a few times, breathing a bit unevenly as he glanced from the floor up to humbled auburn eyes. He spoke after a few seconds, his voice a half whisper as he nodded,

"I can…I can do that." he sounded worried about it though. And Hannibal gleaned from the spike of anxiety in Will's scent again, that while he understood why Hannibal was asking it of him, the younger man didn't necessarily trust that to be _all_ Hannibal would want.

It seemed Will honestly underestimated his self-control…and his decency.

They apparently still had a lot to learn about one another.

Hannibal had trust yet to be earned, and right then was as good a place to start as any,

"I won't touch you, Will." Hannibal said quietly, holding Will's wide eyed gaze, "You have my word."

There was uninterrupted eye contact then, eventually Will nodding his trust, and for a few seconds they stood and sat like that, neither moving, both just breathing, Will more noisily than Hannibal. And it was only when Hannibal broke eye contact and trailed his eyes downward over Will's chest again that Will moved, turning to face Hannibal properly, still standing just inside of the older man's reach as he brought his hands up and hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his pajama pants.

Whether it was intentional or not, Hannibal had no way of knowing, but Will's movement was almost deliberately slow as he slid the pajama pants down over his pale, narrow hips, revealing -in tantalizing increments- the V lines of his Adonis belt and the thickening line of dark hair further down on his abdomen, lower still, the dark thatch of his pubic hair, then his soft sex and the creamy skin of his upper thighs and…

…and then Will let the pants drop, and he was standing before Hannibal in all of his naked _perfection_.

Magnificent.

And Hannibal would swear to all the Gods he knew of, that he had never felt such intense emotional and physical need in all his life, and he hated the overwhelming feelings…but he also welcomed them because they existed within him only for Will.

WilWillWill…

Will was trembling lightly…and so was Hannibal.

He didn't shy away from staring at the younger man's nudity, taking in and committing to memory the sublime sight of Will. And while his openly lustful gaze probably made Will uncomfortable, being as it was all Hannibal would ever be allowed, he didn't feel bad for it…after all, he was only looking.

And he wanted to see more…he wanted to see everything.

After memorizing the lovely picture of Will's full frontal nudity, Hannibal asked,

"Would you please turn around?" and his tone was gruffer than he expected. And when he spoke, he noticed that Will's fair flesh prickled with goosebumps at the husky sound of it, followed by another peak in Will's anxiety.

Hannibal was about to repeat that he wouldn't touch, just in case Will needed to hear it again, but it was unnecessary because after only minimal hesitation Will moved to turn around, stepping out of and then on the pants lying at his feet as he turned until Hannibal had a full view of his back, lean and lined with just the right amount of musculature, just as was his tapered waist and his firm, shapely buttocks, the backs of his thighs and his calves.

Hannibal burned with the desire to _touch_ , to _pleasure_ and to _worship_ Will Graham, in _every_ way.

But he could not…and unfortunately, he also could not control the level of arousal he experienced at seeing Will plainly naked, nor could he hide the result of it while he was wearing naught but a white towel around his waist.

A part of him thought it would be best to ask Will to leave, so that he could deal with his reaction to Will's beauty quickly and efficiently, but then…he didn't want to take his eyes off of the younger man just yet.

And really, he'd already asked for something as pathetic as to be allowed to look at Will naked, so what did he really have to lose in letting Will see that he was erect…

"Hannibal?" Will asked, still facing away from him.

Hearing how softly and almost shyly Will said his name drove more blood to his groin, causing him to speak before he could stop himself,

"Allowing me to see you this way, Will, is quite like…nourishment." he swallowed tensely as he tracked his eyes over the line and curve of Will's spine, further down over the cleft of his buttocks and between his thighs, "I have sketched you nude in the past, even though I had never seen you like this before now," he kept his voice quiet and was aware that he sounded somewhat reverent, "and despite the ways in which you are different to what I had imagined, the truth of you, the reality…" he trailed his eyes back up to the cut of Will's shoulders, the dark curls of his hair, "…the visual splendor of your skin and your physique has far exceeded my every fantasy." he inhaled then, having Will naked and so close to him was an irresistible temptation, and the clearer notes of natural vetiver on Will's recently showered skin were intoxicating.

And he'd been honest in every word he said, because while Will was not unblemished or as defined in musculature as Hannibal had drawn him purely from imagination, he was infinitely better in every way standing there in flesh and blood and breath…in all of his Grecian-like beauty, with his dark curls and fine beard contrasting his pale skin, his long and lean body and his naturally affected _kouros_ stance…

Will cleared his throat, which brought Hannibal out of his dazed reverie just as the younger man slowly turned around again, but only halfway, and folded his arms over his chest self-consciously as he glanced at Hannibal.

He was blushing faintly, likely because of Hannibal's verbal praise, and he appeared to be even more uncomfortable than before. Perhaps hearing Hannibal's words of desire were just as unsettling for Will as his hands might have been touching the younger man's skin?

And if his discomfort had been bad before, when he noticed Hannibal's erection partially tenting the towel over his lap, it visibly increased along with his breathing, the brunette actually taking an absent half step away as he looked everywhere but at Hannibal. The reaction was accompanied by a splendidly attractive fresh blush that started from Will's chest and heated his face and the tips of his ears. And it was such a torrid onset that Hannibal was able to feel the heat radiate from Will even at two feet away, and he was also able to smell the prickle of fresh sweat on his skin.

Will had barely glanced at Hannibal's lap, but the sight of his arousal seemed to render the younger man immobile and made him very tense, which made Hannibal realize that Will was too uncertain and uncomfortable to make any movement, even just to retrieve his pajama pants and leave the room…so Hannibal opted to leave first.

He didn't really have it in him to speak right then anyway, with most of his blood still gathered too far from his brain, so instead he just stood up, noting that Will tensed up as he did so but didn't step away again, and then Hannibal walked away, back toward his bathroom, expecting that Will would be gone when he returned to the bedroom shortly.

What he didn't expect was for Will to stop him from leaving,

"Hannibal…" he said quietly, and Hannibal stopped walking and turned around, but not all the way, now feeling somewhat self-conscious of the jut of his erection beneath the towel.

"Yes, Will?" he prompted as evenly as he could manage.

Will pursed his lips and unfolded his arms as he glanced at the bed and then looked at Hannibal again,

"If…if I can't…" he took in a deep breath, "…if all I can give you is a…an accurate f-fantasy, then I can do better than…just this, me standing here, like this." he gestured to his naked self.

And that time, Hannibal honestly didn't understand what Will was trying to say, and he frowned just enough to let Will know he needed to elaborate.

In answer, Will began to move…toward the foot of the bed…where he sat down and hesitated a bit before pushing himself backwards, until he was settled in the center of the bed. And Hannibal's mouth instantly went dry at the sight of Will naked on his bed, his cock twitching as the wet spot of pre-come on the inside of the towel became even stickier.

He was unable to look away from Will sitting on his carmine red and black bed sheets as he asked,

"Will…?" and swallowed in an attempt to wet his throat. He needed an explanation.

"You said…that you won't touch, but you asked to see me…" Will spoke with a subtle tremor in his voice but he sounded quite sure of himself otherwise, apparently emboldened by the fact that Hannibal had kept to his word of not touching him, "…so for your mind palace, for your fantasy, h-how would you like to…see me?" he asked and then –so cruelly and temptingly- he leaned back on his arms and affected a more casual –albeit still tense- position, "On my…on my hands and knees?" his voice wavered at the suggestion and he averted his eyes, but he was totally serious. Hannibal could tell that his resolve was at one hundred percent right then.

Will was offering Hannibal visually, what he could not physically.

And while it was unintentionally cruel…it was also quite generous.

Hannibal walked back to the bed, moving to stand where Will had been standing before, the younger man's cotton pajama pants pooled just in front of his bare feet. And when Will shifted to get onto his hands and knees, Hannibal found it was very much **not** what he wanted.

"No." he said huskily, accent thick even on the single short word. Will stopped uncertainly and settled back to sit, somewhat hunching in on himself now, looking as though Hannibal had just rebuffed him. But that wasn't the case, not hardly, "If I could, I would have you as you are now, in my fantasy you would be lying beneath me, supine," he specified and was aware of how his heated gaze made Will blush all over again, "so that I could feel your legs wrapped around me, and see your face, be able to kiss you as I enter your bod-…"

"H-hannibal…stop," Will's voice was strained, his eyes cast downward, "stop talking, please, I g-get it…" and he was clenching the bed covers in his fists on either side of his hips. Hannibal's words were apparently quite like a touch for Will, it was too much and made him very uncomfortable.

He inclined his head in acquiescence to stop talking and Will nodded unevenly back at him, and then Hannibal watched as the younger man lied back on the bed with his head rested on the pillows and drew his legs up so they were bent, planting his feet flat on the mattress and with only slight hesitation…Will parted his legs.

Hannibal felt like he could really use some water right about then, he was terribly parched.

"Like…like this, Hannibal?" Will asked in a shaken tone while staring at the ceiling, his breathing still too fast and his knees shifting inward and outward, as though he was fighting the urge to close his legs again. Hannibal only raised his eyebrows at that question as his blood sung with arousal, steadily flowing south. And Hannibal knew he was being cruel to himself, but seeing as how Will was giving him the reigns to construct his visual fantasy and _model_ it for him, how could he not make the most of it?

He stepped up then, so he was standing with his knees against the foot of the bed, just a _little_ closer. Will glanced down at him, but Hannibal didn't meet his eyes because he was looking at Will's inner thighs, gaze trailing the smooth curve down to the younger man's parted buttocks, between which was his puckered hole, virginal and undoubtedly tight. Hannibal's gaze drifted up after a little while, trailing over Will's relaxed scrotum and limp penis, and when his eyes settled on Will's face, he parted his lips slowly with his tongue and then spoke,

"Place your arms above your head," he directed gruffly and Will took in a shaken breath, but did as told, "and close your eyes." he added, and when Will's eyes slid closed, feeling desperate with his cock throbbing demandingly beneath the towel, Hannibal gave into the desire to touch himself.

He removed his towel, dropping it onto the floor at his feet and he closed his eyes briefly when he first took himself in hand and stroked his cock from the base to the tip, his tautly stretched foreskin moving beneath his palm as he stroked again with a subtle twist. And after he'd taken the edge off, he began to masturbate himself in earnest as he looked lustfully over Will's body.

He was aware that he was probably crossing a certain line that he and Will hadn't discussed by touching himself, but he was so hard and Will was so exquisite, Hannibal just figured they'd work through the setback afterward.

Deciding that, he went ahead and said in a strained, -obvious- half groan,

"Wider, Will…open your legs…wider…" he husked out as he fisted his cock, steadily stroking and imagining how he'd touch Will, how the younger man would feel, how he'd taste.

Will went rigid at the sound, the lustful depth, of Hannibal's voice, and also because it was rather obvious from the hitching in his breath and speech just what he was doing. Hannibal thought for sure that Will would be offended, that he would get up and storm out of the bedroom, but he _didn't_. He simply clenched his eyes tightly shut and did as requested, spreading his legs further and letting them fall properly open, exposing himself completely to Hannibal.

Driven past the point of his decorum by Will's unspoken permission to continue, Hannibal made no more effort to be subtle then, not about his breathing, or the gruff bitten off sounds of pleasure he made in the back of his throat, or the sound of skin sliding hot and tight, his cock becoming tacky with pre-come so that it made a clicking, wet sound as he masturbated to the visual aid of Will.

"Arch your…ah…your back, Will…raise your hips for me…" he entreated breathily. And Will, who was breathing heavily through his nose, almost as much as Hannibal was, did so, pressing his pale feet into the red duvet cover and raising his lower half off the bed, the small of his back curving, and then, unprompted, Will pressed his head back into the pillows and he said Hannibal's name just audibly.

It was completely unexpected, putting serious strain on his self-control, and again, Hannibal would never know if Will had acted intentionally, but the sight coupled with the breathy word sent him careening over the edge into orgasm. Hannibal didn't moan as he dropped his head forward along with his upper body, catching himself on a shaky hand splayed on the mattress as he came, stroking himself through it as his semen spilled over his fingers and spurted onto the duvet cover. Breathing harshly and mostly through his nose, he savored the familiar pleasure of climax as it moved through him, resonating through his body in dizzying waves, his nerves warming so that his skin felt electric, his insides aching with the sensation of intense pleasure.

And he wasn't imagining it, that his orgasm was more intense than ever before, and it was obviously due to the _sight_ , _scent_ and _sound_ of Will Graham.

When the surge of pleasure throughout his body and the sound of his pulse rushing in his ears ebbed, Hannibal came back to his senses and still breathing deeply he opened his eyes, glancing first to one side and then the next, finding that Will's feet were still set flat on the mattress at about a foot's distance on either side of his head.

The younger man's legs were still spread wide…and when Hannibal looked up at him he saw that aside from having lowered his arms and lying down flat again, Will hadn't moved.

Pulling himself back together with a steadying breath, Hannibal shifted backwards to stand up straight. He looked over Will's slightly tense body then, his eyes raking over the brunette who still lay supine with his body on display, his eyes still shut and his arms folded over his middle uncertainly as he lay breathing quietly but deeply, waiting…

…waiting for Hannibal to say it was over? Probably, there was really nothing else it could be.

Instead of speaking to let will know he could go, Hannibal rather did as he'd intended to earlier, and after picking his towel up off the floor, he walked away and closed himself into his en-suite so that he could rinse himself down, giving Will the time he needed to leave…

…and when he emerged from the bathroom ten minutes later, Will was gone, just as he'd expected.

* * *

They did in fact settle into an asexual, monogamous relationship following that evening, which meant that nothing changed between them aside from the technical terms of their relationship being mutually recognized and made 'official'. As usual, they ignored certain things, in particular never discussing or mentioning the fact that Hannibal had masturbated to the sight of Will posing sexually for him on his bed. In fact, nothing sexual was ever discussed in any capacity ever again, and Hannibal just accepted it because Will preferred it that way.

And despite having the physical image of Will to fantasize about, Hannibal rarely masturbated, but then, he always had rarely masturbated so that wasn't unusual. And on the occasion that he did, Will was all he cared to think about, to imagine and to desire. And he never allowed himself to wonder about what Will thought of when he pleasured himself, lest he become angry or worse…jealous. He refused to lower himself to something as cliché as the latter.

Ironically enough though, the idea of getting angry or jealous caused Hannibal to genuinely value their monogamy when he belatedly realized that he would have quite literally _gutted_ anyone who ever touched Will sexually, because Will had been right, they were together, had been since that night on the bluff…and Will was **his** and **his alone**.

He felt like an idiot for having not seen it himself, for having not been on the same page with Will from the very beginning, but he excused himself for it because it was all very new to him; a relationship with commitment based on genuine feelings, based on feelings of **love**.

He never mentioned his delayed epiphany to Will though, it wasn't necessary because he knew it now and that's all that mattered. It also mattered that while nothing physical had changed between them, emotionally, Hannibal was very aware that they became closer and more attached to one another every day. With every conversation and every smile or shared laugh, every morning greeting and good night said in the hallway separating their bedrooms, every casual brush of their shoulders or fleeting and absent platonic touches when they cooked together or went about their days…with every shared kill and the subsequent meal made from it, every meaningful look, every day…every hour that they spent together, they were always growing closer.

And it was fulfilling in its own way, in new ways that Hannibal had never experienced before.

Understandably, he still yearned to kiss Will sometimes when the younger man would smile at him, but _of course_ , he never again moved to kiss Will and never would, because he'd been asked not to and that request would stick forever.

Hannibal would never pursue anything sexual with Will again, because Will didn't want that…

…that's what he'd said...

* * *


	2. ...with you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This story was inspired by a Damien Rice song (yet another one) and I would seriously suggest listening to the song, it really sets the atmosphere, especially for this part of the story. You can listen to it [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh1C8qpODZs/)  
> if you're interested.  
> \- In case it bothers anyone, this chapter is very long.

* * *

  


* * *

  **23 Months Later**

* * *

They'd been together for about three and a half years before the issue of sex came up again.

And it didn't happen in any way that Hannibal would have ever expected…mostly because he had long since given up on expecting anything…

* * *

Hannibal and Will were out to eat dinner together, a rare thing that they did only every once in a while when a reason to do so presented itself, sometimes because they wanted a break in routine and other times if they decided to look for a victim in the city. That particular evening though, they were out to dinner for a completely different reason; having had a restaurant recommendation enthusiastically insisted upon them earlier that week when they'd run into an acquaintance outside of the practice on their way home.

Having lived just outside of Skellefteå for a few years already, in the main town where they worked and frequented for shopping and such, they had long since become familiar and friendly with certain people and had made a fair amount of acquaintances, which Hannibal considered an important thing to do in order to blend in. And ever since Will had told Britta Enberg that he and Hannibal lived together, that bit of personal information had spread gradually through their carefully acquired circle of 'friends' and colleagues, and it had thereafter been politely enquired about and duly accepted, until it went on to become common knowledge that they were a couple.

For that reason, Will had had to make more of an effort to be sociable, simply because Hannibal was a socialite and knew many people, and that was the reason the younger man had –surprisingly- been the one to agree that they'd go to the restaurant…or at least that's what Hannibal assumed was the reason. He had long since admitted to himself that he had never and would never fully understand the way Will's mind worked or why he did some of the things that he did.

The recommendation itself was for a "fantastic" restaurant that had been open for a short while in the heart of the city. The acquaintance who'd made the suggestion to them had been obnoxiously overly familiar in suggesting that Hannibal take Will there for a 'nice romantic dinner', right before they'd winked at Will, who had been standing right beside him on the snowy sidewalk in the late afternoon. The idea had been nauseatingly banal and forwardly suggested, but when Will had responded with ' _that sounds nice'_ and ' _we'll definitely try it'_ , Hannibal had looked to him, outwardly placid and inwardly surprised, to find the younger man smiling slightly.

There'd been a few stray snowflakes caught in Will's day worn curls and on the shoulders of his dark wool tweed coat, his glasses had been set properly on his nose and his eyes had reflected tiredness after a long day. But the detail that had stood out most to Hannibal in that moment was the sincerity he'd seen in Will's overall countenance when he'd spoken. And so immediately, Hannibal had refrained from disagreeing with him, then and later, no matter how badly he had wanted to.

Will wasn't ever usually interested in public couple-like outings, and while it crossed Hannibal's mind that Will might have just been being nice at the time and would change his mind later, in the event that that hadn't been the case, he hadn't wanted to be discouraging of Will's decision.

As it were, Will had been serious…

…and that was how they presently found themselves in that "fantastic" restaurant having a 'romantic dinner' on a chilly Friday evening.

The food wasn't bad and Hannibal was relieved by that, but it hardly mattered since his personal verdict of the cuisine took a backseat to the fact that Will seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself. In fact, the entire evening had been a pleasant surprise so far.

First off, the younger man had dressed up for the occasion, and Hannibal had not been expecting that. So upon seeing Will dressed in a deep burgundy button down shirt worn open at the collar, with black formal slacks and shoes, his dark curls combed back, a simple white gold curb-link chain around his neck, his TAG Heuer link watch on his wrist and finally, wearing the rich cologne that complimented his own scent so well, Hannibal, who had been pulling his coat on at the time, ready to leave the house, had done an obvious and embarrassing double take.

Will had of course noticed Hannibal's reaction, and the younger man had pursed his lips against an amused smirk, trying not to all-out smile. And Hannibal had felt like a fool at seeing Will attempting not to laugh at him, which had made the involuntary action just that much worse. But being a master at schooling his features into apathy, he'd done so, swallowing against the uncomfortable tension in his throat as he'd reached for Will's coat and had handed it to the younger man without meeting his eyes.

He might have elected to point out how handsome Will looked under different circumstances, using his usual confidence to offset his embarrassment at being taken aback at the sight of Will, but their 'relationship' was not about aesthetics and physicality, so he knew Will wouldn't have appreciated it, and besides that, the younger man didn't do well with compliments anyway.

But aside from the small sting to his feelings –that he was loath to properly acknowledge-, the rest of the evening so far had had an easy and pleasant atmosphere. The drive into the city had been comfortable, whether they'd been talking or not, their table at the restaurant was one of the better ones, the service was good, the food acceptable, and their conversation over dinner had been as stimulating and familiar –if not as blatantly candid- as when they would eat dinner at their own table. Good food, good wine and excellent company.

And Will's mood was rather good too, the younger man was relaxed and casually talkative, he smiled more than Hannibal expected him too in such a situation, even laughed a few times when Hannibal said something appropriately funny and made a few of his own obscure, darkly humored jokes. Most surprising of all was that he made plenty of eye contact, his sea green eyes holding Hannibal's auburn gaze frequently throughout the evening, and had it not been for all of those unusual points, Hannibal probably would never have dared take a chance on asking Will to dance with him.

But as it were, after glancing at the couples dancing at the back of the restaurant where a cozy and _romantic_ alcove was set up for that specific reason, Hannibal decided that the likely possibility of being turned down wasn't reason enough not to at least put the idea out there.

So after taking a silent breath, he turned to look at Will, who sat across the table from him,

"If I asked you to dance," he watched Will's eyes slide to settle on him from whatever he'd been looking at, "would you be inclined to do so?" Hannibal asked in a mild, even and inexpectant tone, before sipping his red wine and setting the glass down beside his empty dessert plate.

They'd long since eaten dinner and had finished dessert about ten minutes earlier, and presently, Will was leaning forward in his seat with his forearms folded on the table, his one hand settled on the bicep of his other arm and his other hand suspended over his wine, his fingers idly tapping along the rim of his near empty glass.

At Hannibal's question, Will had blinked placidly at him. His eyes were half lidded in his relaxed state and there was no tension in his shoulders or discomfort in his demeanor, he appeared sure of himself, suave and calm and he gave no reaction at all to the idea at first. But when the younger man cocked his eyebrow and sat up straight, Hannibal expected to be brushed off with quiet words, or that Will would give him an unfavorable look.

But Will never failed to surprise him, and when the brunette smiled and slowly nodded, answering the question with an even and audible,

"Yeah, I would." as he set his wine glass aside, Hannibal only just managed to keep the disbelief off his face.

He honestly couldn't believe Will's easy acquiescence, because dancing as a couple was a form of close physical contact the likes of which Will usually stayed far away from with him. Even after so much time past, Will wasn't even receptive to the implication of anything like holding or hugging, not even light touching, not of their bodies or their hands. In fact, as long as it could be helped, Hannibal had long ago noticed that Will always tried to keep an arm's length or foot's distance between them.

And Will hadn't even been that way before the fall, but afterward, and even more so since the issue of sexual intimacy had come up, new physical barriers had been thrown up between them, and all of them were Will's barriers, Will's do's and don'ts, Will's rules and distances.

But right then, Will was choosing to dance with him…so was he lowering one of those barriers? Maybe just for the night? It couldn't be that the younger man was mistaking what he meant by asking him to dance, because the restaurant hadn't played anything besides 'slow dance' instrumental music all evening, and every couple dancing was pressed close to one another, and so there was no misinterpreting what would be expected in dancing together were they to do so.

Curious though he was, Hannibal did not want to question the lapse –temporary or not- in Will's stringent physical barriers. And knowing that Will wasn't inebriated, Hannibal didn't see any reason not to simply smile and stand up, walking around the intimate table setting as he extended his hand to Will,

"Shall we?" doing as he would with anyone he'd ever asked to dance and oozing all of his charm and gentlemanly comportment. Will continued to throw him off, when instead of looking irritated by the showy gesture, the younger man smiled up at him with something like pleased amusement as he accepted the offered hand before pushing his chair back and standing up.

And they looked at one another for a moment as they stood beside the table, Will not immediately separating their hands and Hannibal despising that his heart rate increased slightly at the barest of permitted touch. And as he tracked his eyes over the younger man's face, he once again tried and failed to understand why Will was behaving differently. If Will noticed or was aware that he was struggling with navigating the sudden shift in their physical dynamic, he made no show of it.

So Hannibal was left at a loss, but even so, he was never one to let it show, and holding Will's hand so long as he was allowed to, he gestured for the younger man to walk just ahead of him and together they made their way to the dancing area. Hannibal let Will lead them into the small crowd, let the younger man choose where they'd stop, and they ended up near the center of all of the slowly turning couples.

Hannibal, having not fully thought the idea of dancing through, was now faced with being careful about how close to position himself to Will. And so as he faced the younger man in the crowd, still holding onto Will's hand, he stepped closer and only very lightly settled his other hand on Will's flank. And while he looked at the space between them, taking a moment to try and figure out what would be a reasonable distance to keep, Will took all of the complication out of the situation when he lightly –almost smoothly- stepped into him, close enough that their bodies lined up, close enough that it was intentionally non-platonic, close enough that Hannibal could feel the warmth of his body and smell the scent of his skin and his hair.

One song ended and another began, a lilting, haunting tune of an acoustic guitar, subtle bass, piano, light percussion and violins that filled the small dancing area, and Hannibal swallowed with a soft click as he looked into Will's face, his heart rate increasing again when the brunette raised an arm and placed it around his upper arm, the younger man resting his hand there with a gradual press to firmness against the back of Hannibal's shoulder.

And it was impossible for Hannibal not to follow his lead then, easing into position as naturally as he would have with any other dance partner as he slid his hand from Will's flank to his waist and then to the small of his back, splaying his hand there as he drew Will just slightly closer, bringing their faces inches apart in the process, their hips and thighs making light contact, their feet step in step…and Will, Will didn't pull away.

He did tense up just slightly, his breath stuttered and his ears turned a faint red, but then he made direct eye contact and smiled, close lipped and vaguely self-conscious, but still genuinely, holding his head tipped back just so, and Hannibal swallowed a fresh wave of anxious surprise at being allowed to hold Will to him that way. But he took Will's reaction as permission, as a sign that he didn't need to let go, _not just yet_. And just like that, they eased into the movement of dancing slowly, beginning to go around in the same monotonous circles as the other couples…except that Hannibal was dancing with Will and there was absolutely _nothing_ monotonous about that.

The physical intimacy of it, however slight it was, was enough to bring a rise of chest and throat tightening emotion up in Hannibal, but it was mostly good emotions, if he didn't count the confusion and the dread he felt for when it would inevitably have to end. Right then though, he focused on the feeling of Will in his arms and he returned the smile, attempting to keep his own as subtle as possible, but knowing it was probably still too revealing, maybe even adoring, to the extent that he hadn't even been aware he was capable of managing.

Will's reaction to his smile was to give him a strangely intense look, before the younger man lowered his head. Hannibal assumed he'd made Will uncomfortable, but then Will leaned closer and pressed his face –his tickling dark eyelashes, his warm nose, smooth lips and chocolate dessert scented breath- lightly to the side of Hannibal's neck and just…he just stayed there, as they went slowly around, sway for sway, step for step.

Hannibal held himself together against the torrent of dizzying and sentimental emotions rushing through him as he turned his head just enough to press his cheek to Will's hair. And they made two more slow rotations like that before Will took the liberty of adjusting their positions again, leaving his hand off from holding Hannibal's so that he could encircle his arm…one first and then both, around Hannibal's neck, and it felt as if Will was touching him in too many places…and yet it was still not nearly enough.

Hannibal didn't understand what was happening and he was having trouble keeping the raging bloom of those God-awful 'butterflies' in his stomach from making him nauseous. He was fully aware of the fact that Will holding him that way was almost exactly as he had that night on the bluff, only it was closer, so much closer. He had no idea what it meant, or whether it meant anything at all, and all he could focus on doing right then was to slide his arms around Will's waist, holding him there…because he had no idea of whether he was permitted to do or even _think_ anything else. And he also knew that even though Will was allowing a new intimacy between them, it was possible that it would only be for the duration of their dance, so he did his best to just enjoy it. Just for the moment.

He was emotionally indulging in the feeling and warmth of Will being so close to him when the younger man spoke quietly against his neck, close to his ear and soft enough that it was just between them,

"You've changed your cologne?"

Hannibal raised his eyebrows slightly, surprised, as he would never have thought Will might notice such a thing,

"Yes," he answered just as quietly, just beside Will's ear, "several months ago actually." and he enjoyed the feeling of the stray curls at Will's ear tickling against his lips.

Will very lightly inhaled, brushing his nose intentionally against Hannibal's skin just under his ear, and Hannibal had to suppress a shiver at the sensation, feeling sickeningly and pathetically touch starved all of a sudden,

"Your previous one was better." Will pointed out quietly, speaking as if nothing about his actions or words meant _anything_.

Hannibal wet his lips, his smile having faded as his insides began to feel shaky…Will was practically undoing him while doing absolutely nothing at the same time. When had his being in 'love' with Will become so desperate?

Hannibal kept his outward calm, closing his eyes for a moment as they rotated slowly, taking in an even breath before trusting himself to speak again,

"Would you prefer if I changed it back?" he asked almost absently, taking a small liberty and brushing his nose over Will's ear, and the younger man either didn't notice or he just allowed it without comment,

"Yes, actually…" Will answered, and Hannibal felt the younger man's hands shift over his shoulder blades and splay open, pressing firmer against his back through his suit jacket, and he wasn't imagining it either when Will pressed closer to him and quietly added, "…I always liked the way you smelled before."

And something about the entire moment was sharply painful for Hannibal, and it had something to do with the fact that he'd never expected any kind of physical closeness from Will ever again, or possibly because he hadn't been touched by another person intimately in years, and maybe just because he was overwhelmed and anxious at the idea of the closeness ending with finality when the dance did. In fact...it was probably everything, all of those things, including how amazing Will felt tucked close against him.

Will was being cruel without meaning to be…

"Then I shall." and Hannibal was far too easily accepting of it, responding sincerely with faint strain in his voice, and again, if Will noticed, he didn't show it.

They continued to rotate to the music, close and quiet…until the song ended, and then Will drew back, put that dreaded one foot distance between them, all contact lost even as he smiled softly, before turning and heading back to their table.

It took a few seconds longer than usual for Hannibal to recompose himself – longer than he'd ever care to admit- to reel in his complicated and fraying feelings, before he was able to go back to their dinner table.

They had another glass of wine each as they waited for the bill, and like it had so long ago, the liquid tasted bitter.

* * *

They talked minimally, only for about the first ten minutes of the drive back to their house, making mention of the good food and pleasant atmosphere of the restaurant, but thereafter they both remained quiet for the rest of the drive along the tree lined, lightly snowed over dark stretch of road leading out of the city.

It was only once they'd arrived home, had removed their coats and were walking into the living room, that Will severed the silence as he moved toward the bar, suggesting that they have a final drink for the evening. And the younger man was so relaxed in comparison to Hannibal that it irked him, but Will didn't seem to notice it, so either he was doing a good job of hiding how tense and tired he felt, or Will was just pretending not to notice.

Will was the only person that had ever -and would ever- be allowed to put Hannibal through the emotional ringer he was currently experiencing, and honestly, it was really exhausting and he just wanted to be alone right then.

He needed to mentally regroup.

"No, thank you, Will." he declined quietly as he walked through the living room, placing his car keys on the sofa table as he passed it before beginning to remove the cufflinks on his shirt, continuing toward the hallway exit. He really just wanted to close himself into his bedroom where he could lower his guard for a moment. Will had tested his resolve and his self-control that evening and he needed to put himself back into his previously resolute frame of mind, lest he begin to overstep his boundaries again and ruin the relationship they'd so carefully forged.

"Are you, uh, going to bed already?" Will asked from across the living room, pausing in what he was doing with the whiskey and glass in his hands to look at him with a slight frown. Hannibal slowed to a stop just before the hallway doorway and he absently checked his wristwatch as he pocketed his cufflinks, seeing that it wasn't even ten PM.

Still, early though it was for a Friday evening, he was not feeling inclined to linger in Will's presence, so,

"Yes, perhaps after a shower," he answered evenly and smiled at Will as he folded his shirt sleeves up, "thank you for this evening, Will." he said as politely as was necessary and when Will's lips twitched into a weak smile, it gave Hannibal yet another reason to take his leave, "I'll see you in the morning." he said finally and then left the room, walking quietly along the hallway to his bedroom and only sighing out his frustration once he had the door shut behind him.

* * *

He opted not to shower. He'd considered it for relaxation purposes, but having showered before they left for dinner, he decided to skip the process of having another. Presently closed into his bedroom, Hannibal moved slowly around, first switching on the light before removing his wristwatch and emptying his pockets of his wallet, cellphone, cufflinks and handkerchief and placing everything onto the surface top of his chest of drawers. He removed his black suit jacket next and caring very little for it at the moment, tossed it over the armrest of the leather tuxedo sofa under the window before he slipped his tie off and tossed it there as well.

After he'd unfastened the top two buttons of his silver pinstriped shirt collar, Hannibal moved to sit down on the couch and removed his shoes. He felt a bit less stifled once he'd undressed somewhat and he exhaled slowly then and leaned back, taking a few calming breaths as he tried to clear his head…but he only sat for a minute before his frustration returned when he realized that he did actually want a drink.

Clenching his jaw lightly at the inconvenience of it all, he decided not to leave the bedroom straight away. And in order to pass some time, Hannibal first went into his en-suite and relieved himself, washing his hands twice, -once more than necessary- and then he proceeded to tidy his room, hanging his jacket and tie up in his closet, putting his shoes away, his watch and cufflinks too, straightening the sofa cushions, brushing his hands idly over his neat bedding, and only once he'd been in his bedroom for at least twenty-five minutes, did he finally venture back to the living room.

It was pathetic that he was reduced to attempting to avoid Will, but that was the truth of it. He'd hoped that in the time he'd dawdled in his bedroom, that the younger man would have retired to his own room, or any other room in the house actually…

…but upon seeing that the living room light was still on as he walked along the hallway toward the doorway, Hannibal had to accept that he was out of luck, quietly taking in another breath just before he reentered.

Will was seated on the three seat camelback sofa set across from the lit fire place. Glancing over him as he passed, Hannibal noted that Will had removed his shoes and was sitting with his drink in one hand and one of his legs tucked underneath him, leaning back against the armrest of the couch, his gaze on the fire. He didn't allow his own gaze to linger though, because Will turned in his seat slightly to look at him when he'd entered the living room, the younger man now watching him as he crossed the room to the bar.

Hannibal stepped behind the bar and selected his preferred brand of whiskey along with a clean tumbler which he set on the bar top. He unscrewed the bottle cap and poured himself a double shot, and only after he'd set the resealed bottle back and had taken a sip of his drink, did he acknowledge that Will was staring at him. And regardless of his own unsettled feelings right then, seeing that Will looked decidedly less happy than he had earlier, compelled him to ask,

"Are you alright?" as he stepped out from behind the bar.

Will watched him as he moved to stand at the other end of the sofa, two seats and an armrest away from the younger man. Will glanced down at the traces of whiskey left in his own glass briefly, before he finished the last sip and then leaned forward to set the tumbler on the coffee table.

Hannibal waited for a few quiet seconds as Will pursed his lips and then he shrugged lightly,

"Yeah…I, uh," he paused, and his mouth twitched uncertainly before he continued, "I enjoyed tonight…" he frowned slightly and then sighed softly, "…and I kind of...I suppose, guessed, that you had as well." he rubbed a hand over one side of his face, keeping his gaze on the fire.

Hannibal trailed his eyes over Will, debating for a moment on how to respond before looking down into his glass and swirling the liquor, settling for the most neutral response he could think of,

"I did, it was a very nice evening." he reassured, albeit a bit blander than he thought was likely convincing.

Will smiled weakly at his words, just as he had earlier, and then he stood up and walked soundlessly in his socks, approaching Hannibal and –as expected- he stopped just a foot away,

"It really was." he said quietly, sounding far more sincere than Hannibal had. And Hannibal stood very still and uncertainly as Will tracked fire-orange hued eyes over his face, "It was…comfortable, and it was, uh, _you_ were really…" he smiled more genuinely then - for no apparent reason that Hannibal could understand- while still frowning. And the brunette was apparently unable to find the words for what he wanted to say because he just shook his head lightly and rubbed at the side of his neck self-consciously.

And Hannibal _really_ didn't have the constitutional stability right then to puzzle anything out, or to wait for Will to figure out whatever was on his convoluted mind. Especially not when the memory of lowered barriers was still so fresh in his mind and Will was standing within easy reach, looking plainly _gorgeous_ in the firelight, his slender form in dark clothes, with his bright eyes, dark hair and fair skin, his body relaxed and his demeanor far from averting.

It was too sinfully tempting just to be standing there.

Abruptly remembering his decision to not linger, really needing to put distance between them again, Hannibal shifted on his feet,

"I'm glad, Will, that you enjoyed tonight," and he meant it, "perhaps we shall do it again soon." that part though, he meant quite a bit less, but he nevertheless smiled, slight but still sincerely, before stepping to the side, starting to walk away.

He was stopped by Will though, the stutter of his name not as effective as Will's hand closing around his forearm.

Hannibal turned calmly to face the younger man, but he didn't have a chance to ask what Will needed from him because the younger man spoke first,

"I've been, uh…thinking…" his gaze was level with Hannibal's chin as he spoke, and Hannibal saw no reason to prompt quicker speech, rather he chose to give the younger man the time he needed to say whatever he was having trouble with, it was after all, the polite thing to- "…thinking about us." Hannibal's thoughts were cut off, and he frowned at that statement, not sure whether to be concerned or not about what it could mean, "And I'm…I've decided that I'm ready." Will finished quietly, his eyes flicking up to meet Hannibal's steadily then.

Hannibal blinked at him, regarded him for a tense few seconds and then he inclined his head, not really sure of Will's meaning, but not _entirely_ uncertain either…because it sounded like…maybe, but no, surely Will couldn't mean that he was ready to allow more physical contact between them.

Hannibal's mind was just in all the wrong places and he knew it, so he asked for clarification,

"Ready for what, Will?" and his voice was low, but even enough.

Will took a breath then and raised a hand, running just the very tips of his fingers down the length of Hannibal's arm, barely even touching as they skimmed over the expensive cotton,

"F-for…uh, for sex." he said softly, and then cleared his throat, his voice was surprisingly steady when he said more clearly, "I want us to have sex, Hannibal."

There was a moment in which Hannibal's mind went blank, something of a flat line –because he had never thought he would hear those words fall from Will's mouth- before he felt heat like a jolt of electricity rush into him, bringing everything, from the tip of every hair on the surface of his skin to the deepest marrow in his bones, back into his full glaring awareness.

He was experiencing shock from Will's words, coupled with the heat of desire he felt as the significance of the meaning behind them settled over his every sense like silk and honey and fresh blood. And inwardly, Hannibal was alight and immediately brimming with need that was carnal and dark and passionate and overwhelming and dangerous, all of it slowly bleeding out from under the -no longer securely- closed door in his mind palace that his sexual interest for Will had been locked away behind.

Outwardly though, he stared unblinkingly at Will, regarding him closely and intensely,

"Will…" he tested his voice, finding it steady enough to continue, "…I'm sure you'll understand that I find your words somewhat difficult to accept, all things considered," he knew he sounded vaguely irritated, but he was not interested in being played with in the matter of _sex_ and _Will_ and he was determined to approach the situation with his eyes wide open, all questions answered, no doubts lingering, "so, may I ask when it was that you decided that you want this with me?"

Will swallowed tensely and raised his eyebrows as his faint smile faded. Hannibal watched as the younger man inhaled shortly, standing there, still a foot away and never breaking eye contact,

"Like I said, I've been thinking about it, more and more…for months now…" he managed another small smile, "…been thinking about you, and me, uh, and being with you like that…" he cleared his throat and nodded a few times, "…and I think I'm ready."

Hannibal's scarcest hopes at hearing the word 'months' with regards to how much thought had gone into Will's decision, were dashed quite sharply by the blatant discrepancy in the younger man's words,

"You are ready…or you think you're ready, Will, I'm afraid you don't sound very certain." he stated bluntly and before Will could speak again Hannibal headed him off, letting his irritation get the better of him as he pointed out, "I hadn't even been aware we were working up to readiness," his tone was clipped now, "I had resigned myself to the fact that there would be no readiness to speak of with regards to a sexual relationship between us, am I to now believe you've just changed your mind about being so decidedly heterosexual." he sounded scolding –and even a little bitter- when he said that.

A weaker part of him was demanding that he shut up and just accept Will's words at face value, but having been hurt so much by just a rejected kiss in the past, Hannibal didn't even want to know what Will's disgust during something as serious and exposing as sex would be like…he felt nauseously anxious just thinking about it.

Will apparently didn't appreciate his tone or his words, frowning deeper as he opened and then closed his mouth, huffing when he couldn't think of anything to say right away, eventually just shaking his head and throwing his arms up as he took a step back,

"I don-…I don't want to try and explain it to you, because, because yes," he nodded unevenly now, "I'm not one hundred percent certain that I'll like it, all of it or s-some of it, whatever…" he was explaining it anyway apparently, "…so maybe there is a question of readiness in that regard. But I am certain, Hannibal, that I _want_ to," he said firmly, "I want us to…" he took a breath and probably realizing he'd been getting worked up, he continued in a calmer tone, "I want to have sex with you, because…because I'm attracted to you on many levels," he swallowed tensely and rubbed a hand over his mouth, "and I think some of those levels have since, in the last year or so, developed beyond just…the emotional and mental." he sighed, seemingly frustrated, as if he was the one who had more right to be.

Hannibal inhaled slowly, sliding his eyes to the drink he just remembered he had in his hand, and interestingly enough, no longer wanted. He wasn't prone to drinking when he felt emotional, even vaguely, and he couldn't help the tangled mess of feelings Will's words had evoked in him. The confusing tangled mess…because he really wished he could accept what Will was saying, but the younger man just sounded too uncertain and Hannibal really didn't want some half-baked feeling Will had built up, to mess up the progress they'd made. But then also, if what Will was saying turned out to be right and he was actually ready, Hannibal didn't want to pass up the opportunity to be with Will completely.

He hated talking about his own 'feelings', but this was no small matter and it needed discussing,

"Will…" he slid his eyes back to the brunette, "I have reservations-…"

"It won't break us, Hannibal." Will cut him off, voice firm and his words, the weight and meaning and seriousness behind them rendered Hannibal silent, "I swear, that when it's over, however it ends," Will held eye contact the entire time he spoke, "I'm not going anywhere…" he swallowed tensely then and asked, "…are you?"

Hannibal didn't need to think about his answer to that, not after he'd been killing with Will at his side for years, not after everything they'd been through and how intense and real his 'love' for the younger man was,

"Never," he shook his head once lightly, "I shall never leave you, Will." and he meant it completely.

Will smiled, sighed relieved, and then he stepped closer, forfeiting the usual standard foot distance between them,

"Then," he paused to take in a steady breath, "I want you to take me to your bed, Hannibal…" he huffed out an almost shy laugh and all Hannibal could do was stare –mesmerized- at him, "…and I'm leaving it in your hands whatever happens from there, because I have **no** idea how to do this." Will brought one hand up and placed it tentatively in the center of Hannibal's chest, the younger man tilting his head back just slightly to look him in the eye, "All I ask…is that you go slow and bear with me if I…need a minute, or something, to catch up." he added softly, lowering his eyes and swallowing lightly, looking for all the world like he actually _wanted_ Hannibal to kiss him.

Hannibal didn't though.

It was a lot all of a sudden, almost too much, after two years spent conditioning himself not to touch or look or feel and to never expect to have Will be with him sexually. So he didn't do anything physically, but Hannibal was nothing if not adaptable to sudden change, and verbally he was able to assure the younger man,  
"Absolutely." he breathed out, inches from Will's smiling mouth. And Hannibal swallowed with an audible click, every muscle in his body working to restrain him from claiming Will's mouth right then, especially since Will wanted it slow. Hannibal would have to assert his patience more than he ever had before, and that meant even in something as minor as kissing.

Hannibal knew that if he was going to be with Will, he had to do it right and at Will's exact pace…if he ever had a hope of there being a repeat. Simply put, he could not fuck it up.

Will nodded then and Hannibal, immediately beginning to organize his thoughts and appropriate his mindset for the evening ahead, turned to place the tumbler down on the sofa table behind the couch, and while everything was mentally clicking into place, one thing _didn't_ , and he clenched his jaw, realizing it may well be a deal breaker.

"Hannibal?" Will instantly noticed the tension in his shoulders and was frowning questioningly at him.

Holding back a frustrated sigh, Hannibal turned to face Will again and his mouth twitched downward in annoyance,

"In complying with our previous relationship terms all this time, I haven't kept lubricant or condoms, Will," he said plainly, seeing no point in sugarcoating his words, "and while I do have surgical lubricant, I don't suppose you have any condoms?"

It was unsurprising that Will blushed slightly, but he didn't seem uncomfortable, which was a good sign. The younger man raised his eyebrows and then shook his head, before he lowered his eyes, obviously considering something. After a moment, he looked at Hannibal again,

"I'm not, uh…uncomfortable with the idea of not using a condom." Will licked the inner seam of his lips and Hannibal felt his pulse race at the spoken words and the unintentionally teasing sight. Will smirked then, "It's a good thing we decided to be monogamous, huh." he added quietly, in his not so subtle version of an 'I told you so'.

And Hannibal –struck by an insistent ache of arousal at the idea of fucking Will bareback- had to take a moment before he could speak without lust straining his voice. So he smiled, and in a way he rarely did, showing Will his sharp teeth as he raised a hand and, assuming now that he was permitted to touch, he brushed his knuckles along the line of Will's jaw, swallowing once audibly before he felt confident enough to speak steadily,

"I concede to your wisdom, dear Will…in fact…I think you'll find me conceding to you in many ways neither of us would ever have expected in our years to come."

Will grinned at his words, and he blushed too, but his lack of discomfort was what stood out most to Hannibal, the younger man no longer seemed unsettled by Hannibal's wordy sentiments.

"I look forward to it." Will said with just the right amount of cheekiness…and Hannibal gave in to the urge then, raising a hand to slide into the curls at the nape of Will's neck and he dipped his head –as he had so long ago- and pressed his mouth to Will's in a firm, but close-lipped kiss.

Will's breath hitched like it had that night so long ago, but he didn't pull away. Instead he leaned forward, and while it was only just enough to be encouraging, it was all Hannibal needed to not feel rejected again. He brought his other hand up so he was holding Will's face lightly in a gentle cradle as he drew back with a soft, clinging suck, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that Will was also opening his own, and only halfway.

His heart squeezed then, when Will smiled at him, causing a tension in Hannibal's chest that he hadn't even realized was there to release, before he leaned in and kissed Will again, and again and again. And each kiss was close lipped –because he could not overwhelm Will so soon-, none seeking very much more than light moisture and shared breath, it was just Hannibal tasting, sucking lightly and softly on Will's lips in turns between one kiss and the next.

And Will responded tentatively, placing his hands on Hannibal's forearms and puckering his lips to each kiss just enough, but however slight, there was no doubt that it was active reciprocation. It gave Hannibal the confidence he'd felt himself lacking for so long when it came to being close to Will, but even wanting to do more and take more, he didn't push too far just yet. He kept the kisses light and after a minute of gently tasting Will's lips he drew back and then pressed a kiss to Will's cheek before pressing another to his forehead.

Hannibal felt calmer, surer than he had in ages and when he spoke against Will's skin his tone was deep, soothing,

"You can go to the bedroom ahead of me, my medical kit is in the pantry." and Will knew what he needed from it, "I'll be along shortly." he added and then stroked his hands down Will's neck and over his shoulders slowly, taking a step back to look into Will's face, searching for any signs of sudden indecision in the younger man.

Will's face was lightly flush, but his eyes were clear and he was still smiling softly,

"Alright, I, uh, wanted to go to the bathroom first anyway." he responded, blushing even brighter and when Hannibal looked at him curiously, Will chose to elaborate, "I was looking some stuff up online…about this," he swallowed lightly, "and it's made me kind of self-conscious of…you know," he cleared his throat, "so, uh…"

So he wanted to…freshen up?

Hannibal honestly didn't think Will had anything to worry about, since like himself, Will had showered before they'd left for dinner. And aside from that, Will was healthy, fit and ate an excellent, balanced diet –since living with him-, and was generally very hygienic. But Hannibal knew that complete physical comfort would only come with time and experience, and that would of course, only be if there was ever even any next times.

Focusing on right then, Hannibal just nodded,

"Whatever makes you feel more comfortable." he said quietly.

They parted then, Hannibal heading to the kitchen and Will to the hallway.

* * *

It took about ten minutes for Hannibal to fetch the surgical lube, extinguish the fire, turn all the lights out and lock up the house, and when he was done, he made his way down the hallway and then he stopped just outside of his bedroom door.

If he was being perfectly honest with himself, he felt somewhat nervous, and he knew that it was because there was a fair amount of pressure on him with regards to having sex with Will. He'd have to control himself in every moment, his lust and his passion for the younger man would have to be curbed and tempered, and he'd have to pace himself and be distinctly gentle, aware of everything he did and every place he touched and kissed...

…but he'd be able to _touch_ and _kiss_ , and that was already reward enough for the effort he'd have to make. Also, he was quite sure that it would only be so difficult because it was Will's first time having sex with another man, and he suspected that if it went well, things would naturally progress between them thereafter. Most likely Will would become more comfortable and interested in sex between them on his own, so it would be well worth it.

He didn't, however, allow himself to consider the alternative outcome…

And never one to let uncertainty rule his actions, Hannibal pushed the already ajar door open and stepped inside. His eyes immediately fell on Will, who was sitting at the foot of the bed, still fully dressed.

He stood up when Hannibal entered and ran a hand down the front of his shirt,

"I, uh…didn't know if I should get undressed…or wait in case you wanted…to, uh…" he was blushing again, rubbing a hand over his face as if to wipe it away, clearly worried that he was embarrassing himself and perhaps it was mean, but Hannibal didn't immediately stop him, "…I don't know, undress me? I didn't want to assume that I knew what you'd…uh, like from me, so-…"

"Will, please, relax." he finally took mercy on the younger man, unable though, to keep the pleased smile off his face at Will's thoughtfulness, " **That** is first and foremost what I would like from you, if that is alright?" Hannibal suggested calmly, closing the bedroom door before slowly approaching the younger man.

Will was stuck somewhere between shrugging and nodding when Hannibal came to stand in front of him, keeping a comfortable but not impersonal distance between them, and he dropped the tube of medical lubricant on the bed behind Will before placing his hands on Will's upper arms. When the younger man didn't tense up under his touch, Hannibal slid his hands down Will's arms until their fingers met and he curled his own around Will's, raising the younger man's hands in his own and bringing them to his lips, laying a few light kisses to his knuckles,

"But thank you for waiting," he said honestly, "I would very much like the pleasure of undressing you." he added in a husky tone against the skin of Will's fingers as they looked at one another.

Will was breathing shallowly as he nodded only just barely. Hannibal took a moment to look over him then, trying to determine whether it was just nerves or actual second thoughts that were affecting him. Will didn't let him down though, he maintained eye contact and lightly squeezed his hands in reassurance, and Hannibal knew then it was okay to go ahead. So he lowered their joined hands and released the younger man's, before bringing his own hands back up, to where he slowly began unfastening Will's shirt buttons,

"I do need you to tell me, Will, if there is anything specific you do not wish to do tonight." he hated to ask about potential limitations, but he needed to know so that he didn't make a wrong move.

Will had been watching his hands undoing the shirt buttons, but he lifted his head and eyes to look at Hannibal when he answered,

"Uh, well, I mean, obviously…" he licked his lips absently and shook his head, "I don't think I could, uh, do anything…for you…" he looked vaguely apologetic, "…like o-orally."

Hannibal actually wanted to laugh at that, but he didn't because he doubted Will would appreciate it, so he simply smiled in understanding and then put the younger man at ease,

"I meant, is there anything you didn't want me to do _to you_ , Will." he was almost to the end of the button strip, "I have no expectations of you in this, other than that you allow me to bring you pleasure tonight." he explained in a lustful low tone, and Will's breath hitched softly for it, "That is, while remaining within whatever parameters you'd like to set for me beforehand." he had to clarify that point, though he was smirking as he did so.

He finished unbuttoning Will's shirt then, and when it fell open Hannibal didn't hesitate to slide his hands beneath the material on the younger man's shoulders to push it back and off, and he was pleased when Will didn't even tense up, instead he accommodated the movement and shrugged the item of clothing off, letting it fall to the floor. Hannibal removed his hands from Will's naked skin right after, feeling far too eager to touch and kiss and nip at the soft, firm muscled expanse of the younger man's upper body.

First, before he did anything else, he had to know what limitations Will was going to set for him.

He was patient though, seeing that Will was thinking about how to answer his question. So Hannibal occupied himself with unbuckling Will's belt slowly, giving him the time he needed. Will glanced down at his hands and while Hannibal half expected him to belatedly decide to do it himself, Will surprised him –yet again- when the younger man reached up and started to unbutton his shirt in return. And with his eyes on each opening button, Will spoke,

"As long as anything you do is within the…parameters of standard, basic sex acts…I don't have a problem with it." he answered, sounding sure of it, even if he was being far less specific than Hannibal would have liked.

But he could work with that, or rather, he **had** to, and as he started to slide the belt out from the loops of Will's pants, Hannibal made a quick mental list of don'ts; no rough handling, no biting, no leaving bruises, no domineering behavior, no possessive behavior, no aggressive behavior, no dirty talking, no hair pulling, no restraining, no hard sex…

He took in a quiet breath when he thought he'd ticked it all off in his mind, leaving the basic outline of what he'd be doing with Will that evening pretty much just being…love making.

And Hannibal found he really didn't mind the idea of that.

"That sounds perfectly agreeable." he responded in a low voice and after he let the belt fall to the floor, he allowed Will to push his shirt back and off his shoulders and arms. Hannibal nearly tensed up, _nearly_ , when not only did Will openly look at his now bare upper body, but he brought his hands up and _touched_. It was a light touch, purely experimental, as he slid his warm –shaking- hands through the hair on Hannibal's chest and up onto his shoulders.

And when he removed his hands a moment later, Will left behind heat and sensation that sunk deep into Hannibal's flesh and set his blood on fire. As it was, he was already almost completely hard, which was ridiculous for a man his age and with his experience, that he would be so turned on with barely any stimulation. But if he'd doubted it before, that Will had changed him and could be his undoing, he was no longer able to.

Will was no longer touching, but he was still tracking his eyes, clear and nervous, over Hannibal's upper body. And Hannibal was not a self-conscious man, not by any stretch of the imagination, but having Will's eyes on him and not knowing what he was thinking, Hannibal couldn't help wonder if the –much- younger man would find him attractive even on a basic physical level when all of the clothes were out of the way.

On the subject of clothes being out of the way, Hannibal cast aside his –unusually- insecure thoughts and moved his fingers to the fastenings of Will's pants, easily popping the two buttons before he drew the zipper down. Will dipped his head then, and Hannibal couldn't see his face at that angle, but he heard Will exhale tensely as his warm hands returned to settle on Hannibal's biceps, clenching lightly just when Hannibal slipped his hand inside the front of the younger man's pants over his underwear.

And Hannibal realized then, that Will's sudden shift in behavior was because the younger man was worried that he would react badly to the fact that Will's sex was still soft and only naturally thickened, a state that was likely attributed to the warmth in the room and Will's relaxed state, not having anything to do with Hannibal's presence or touch. But Hannibal wasn't discouraged or upset by that, a bit concerned yes, that Will might not become aroused _at all_ , but not offended or put off, not in any way.

Honestly, if the evening turned out to be a bust because Will failed to become aroused, Hannibal would accept it...but he would make sure that it would not be due to a lack of trying on his part.

They'd only barely begun as it was.

"Will…" Hannibal said quietly, removing his hand from inside Will's pants to lightly caress his naked sides as he nudged the side of Will's face with his nose and lips. The younger man raised his head then, red faced and frowning lightly, to look at Hannibal, who couldn't help settling his gaze on Will's slightly parted lips, "…may I kiss you again?"

And Will's answering smile delighted him,

"Please…" and the younger man's chosen, soft spoken response even more so.

Hannibal wondered then, just how long Will truly had been thinking about changing the dynamic of their relationship…just when had he gone from never wanting Hannibal to kiss him, to saying please to it being offered?

But despite how he itched to know the in depth answer to his question, Hannibal knew better than to ask right then and instead, he brought one of his hands up to lightly hold the side of Will's face, stroking Will's jaw with his thumb before he leaned in and kissed the corner of the younger man's mouth first. A teasing kiss, one that prompted Will to part his lips and exhale softly, the younger man taking the initiative and turning his head so that their mouths almost aligned, their lips mostly touching, dry and parted and sticking for a hot second.

And their hooded eyes met and held then for an intense second, before Will let his eyes fall closed and Hannibal was beyond pleased when Will was the one to press forward so that their lips sealed together properly.

His first instinct was to ravage Will's mouth, but Hannibal resolutely held himself back from kissing Will with all of the hunger surging through him in that instant, the desire aggressively rushing into him and it took every muscle in his body tensing up with the effort needed to keep himself in check. And it was only _barely_ a kiss…but Will was half-naked and in his bedroom and the context was entirely sexual and those details raised all the stakes.

Hannibal was able to center himself though, by choosing to let Will lead the kiss, because he felt it'd be easier for him to navigate the younger man's limitations that way. And so with their lips pressed together, softly puckered, Hannibal waited for what Will would choose to do next. And his decision to let Will lead was a wise one, because the younger man revealed the extent of his preference to go slow by how his kiss lingered, before he drew back slowly and paused for a moment before he initiated another kiss, still only lip to lip, but marginally firmer.

Hannibal followed Will's pattern then, drawing back and pressing in to meet each of Will's kisses, both pairs of their lips remained slightly parted but since Will did not attempt to deepen the kiss in any way, neither did Hannibal. And while it was slow to build up, after a minute or more of the moderate lip to lip kissing, gradually Will grew bolder and Hannibal soon found Will's mouth parting a little wider against his own, the younger man drawing Hannibal's lips, the top one first, into a light suckle and then next his bottom lip was given a wider, wetter suck, moist enough that traces of Will's saliva was left behind…

…and Hannibal had to take a deep –not altogether steady- breath as he allowed Will to kiss him, doing all he could not to ruin the moment by not kissing back any more than he already was.

He was aware of Will's hands sliding up onto his shoulders as the younger man continued to grow bolder, kissing and lightly sucking in consistent turns, their lips coming together in sync, opening and closing on each kiss…and then Will's kisses began to languidly wander, the younger man sliding his mouth in damp, slow kisses to the corners of Hannibal's mouth, over his cupid's bow, his philtrum and then the underside of Hannibal's bottom lip received the same attention…and Hannibal was momentarily stunned by what a _sensual_ kisser Will Graham was.

He hadn't expected that.

And they hadn't even moved beyond just lip kisses yet, but it was wearing away at Hannibal's patience because he wanted more and more with each shallow kiss. Not taking, not doing, just having Will teasing him with the taste and heat of his mouth while he couldn't claim it and devastate it was putting a major strain on Hannibal's control…and having become so lost in the movement of Will's warm, moist lips against his own, Hannibal hadn't even realized he'd wrapped his arms around Will and that he had started to _touch_ purely on instinct.

He only realized that one of his hands had slid down beneath the layer of Will's unfastened pants and underwear when Will reacted with a start to Hannibal groping one firm, smooth globe of his ass.

Will turned his head away from the kiss then, taking in a shaken breath and leaving Hannibal's open mouth to slide over the trim hair of his bearded cheek. And while Hannibal's control was far from infinite, he had the presence of mind and restraint enough to close his mouth and ease his hand out of Will's pants. He clenched his jaw then, angry at his own slip up, and he was anticipating the worst based on Will's tense reaction to the placement of his hand. Hannibal swallowed tensely, already mentally preparing himself for Will's change of mind…

…but it didn't happen, and instead Will –breathing heavily and shakily- pressed himself against Hannibal, bare chest to bare chest, and then he dipped his head and slid his hands down from Hannibal's shoulders, skimming over his chest and abdomen, all the way to the fastenings of his pants where Will began to undo his belt.

Hannibal was reassessing now, shocked into momentary stillness by Will doing the opposite of what he'd expected, forever unpredictable in the best possible ways. Hannibal recovered quickly enough from his shock though, and listening as his belt was unbuckled, he slid his hand back underneath Will's pants and underwear, caressing and lightly groping Will's bare buttock intentionally, pleased when the younger man didn't start a second time. In fact, Will was focused and was already unbuttoning his pants, and Hannibal wasn't sure if Will's sudden gusto was due to eagerness –he doubted it- or nervousness –more likely-, but he was distracted from analyzing the situation when the younger man reinitiated the kiss, and that time, when Will parted his mouth against Hannibal's own, the tip of the brunette's tongue grazed his own.

It was a close thing narrowly refrained from, Hannibal only just keeping himself from aggressively sucking Will's tongue into his mouth until he tasted blood. But Will at least didn't back-peddle like he had before, where Hannibal had barely gotten a proper taste before Will had shoved him away, because following that first tentative lick, Will's tongue slipped into his mouth again, a little bolder and actively seeking reciprocation…and of course, Hannibal would _never_ deny him.

And he was only vaguely aware of the moment when he slipped onto the 'too fast' side of things, abruptly taking over Will's lead in the kiss and deftly engaging Will's tongue with his own. But aside from Will's hitched breath and a brief moment of tension in his body, the younger man responded positively, relaxing in increments in Hannibal's hold and allowing him to have control of the kiss.

Yes, Will allowed Hannibal to kiss him then, and Hannibal didn't hesitate to follow through.

His kiss was completely different to Will's, because where the younger man seemed to focus on the sensual, soft side of kissing, Hannibal excelled in _devouring_ , his mouth a honed instrument for consuming and tasting and indulging. And he'd wanted for so long to kiss Will _properly_ that he didn't hold back once permitted entrance… …Hannibal licked deep and covered Will's mouth with his own as he tasted the younger man, he tongued deep and shallow, quick and slow, languid…rough…sucking…wet, his kisses wide and enveloping, lips sliding and pressing, firm at times and then fleeting at others…he nibbled Will's lips and teased the roof of his mouth and Hannibal grazed teeth to lips and brushed noses and angled their heads to accommodate every depth, he breathed deeply as Will breathed erratically-…and well, Hannibal realized belatedly, he got _very_ carried away.

Will was shaking when he pushed at Hannibal's shoulders and turned his head away to sever the kiss, and coming back to himself suddenly, Hannibal realized that he was holding Will's body tightly to his own, one arm around the younger man's back, his other hand holding the back of Will's head. But immediately, when the younger man pushed against him again, seeking distance, wanting to stop, Hannibal _panicked_ and let go, knowing he'd messed up the 'slow' deal they'd had. For the most part though, Will had been kissing him back…

And Will was apparently a bit off balance, because after Hannibal released him and he backstepped, the back of his legs meeting the foot of the bed, the younger man fell down to sit with a sort of dizziness to his demeanor.

"I apologize." Hannibal said quickly, gruffly, looking at Will's flushed face and swollen, reddened mouth.

Will was breathing heavily, his curls were a beautiful mess, his fair, smooth skin was flushed heatedly and his nipples were perked…his eyes though, were the most notable thing, as they were focused directly on Hannibal.

And Will wasn't angry, he didn't even look upset, in fact, he smiled slightly, awkwardly, and cleared his throat,

"I get that, uh…that you've wanted to kiss me for a while…" and he said that without a hint of mockery, rather there was actually a note of guilt in his voice, "…but just try to keep in mind, that I do…uh, I need to breath." he informed while panting slightly, taking in quick breaths of the air he'd apparently required.

Hannibal, both relieved and deeply aroused, merely inclined his head in concession, feeling a bit too worked up to speak right away. He felt anxiousness tug at his insides though, when Will raised a hand to his own face, Hannibal assuming that the younger man was going to wipe his mouth in revulsion as he had twice before in the past, but when Will only wiped at the excess saliva clinging to the area surrounding his –very kissable- mouth, Hannibal relaxed, pursing his lips and taking a breath.

He realized he needed to stop trying to guess what Will was thinking or feeling or was going to do,

"It was a bit too much…" he finally said quietly and then licked his lips, tasting Will and feeling the sensory reaction of it as another ache in his loins and a throb through his straining cock still trapped inside his pants and briefs.

Will's own pants and underwear had slipped lower on his waist, a detail brought to Hannibal's attention when Will leaned back on the bed on one hand, not commenting on Hannibal's self-admonition as he used his other hand to push the garments down off his hips, his thighs and to his knees, sitting up then and using both hands to remove the clothes completely from his legs. And then for the second time in a long while, Will was completely naked before Hannibal…but this time, it was not for the purpose of a visual-only fantasy, but instead so that they could fulfill the _real_ thing.

Will's skin flushed a fresh shade of red as he quickly removed his socks, seemingly having a bit more trouble maintaining eye contact now in his state of undress, he glanced up to meet Hannibal's eyes only briefly throughout the process of undressing.

Hannibal swallowed audibly, his throat clicking as he watched Will shift back further onto the bed, moving up to the center of it as he had once before, his smooth fair skin once again complimenting Hannibal's dark bed covers. Will kept his knees firmly together and sat self-consciously curled in on himself as he cleared his throat,

"No harm done…it was…uh, it was nice." Will licked his lips and managed a small smile at the admission.

"Indeed." Hannibal agreed quietly, and although 'nice' was an understatement, staring at Will sitting naked and waiting on his bed, Hannibal didn't care to offer any verbal embellishments of his own.

Of course, Hannibal hadn't failed to notice that Will was not much more physically aroused than he had been before they started kissing. When Will had removed his clothes Hannibal had seen that his cock had filled out slightly, but had still been on the tentative side of becoming hard. And that wasn't really encouraging for Hannibal, who had no interest in sleeping with Will if it was going to be one sided the entire time. But he wasn't going to give up yet. He did however, mentally decide that if Will had still not become aroused by the time they reached the point before penetration, then he would not proceed.

Hannibal could still understand if Will failed to _maintain_ an erection after penetration, because the pleasure of anal sex was not dependent on that detail in the end, but if Will couldn't even get it up beforehand, then Hannibal would be forced to accept that Will was not attracted to him in any sexual sense and that would be the end of it.

It had to be that way. Because he would not jeopardize Will's trust by taking sex offered to him solely for his own benefit, even if Will would try to force himself through it out of some lingering sense of obligation and guilt and misconstrued emotional attraction.

Setting that potential outcome to the back of his mind for the moment, Hannibal dropped his pants, along with his underwear, so that the clothes pooled at his feet. And after removing his socks, he looked at Will again to find the younger man staring at him…staring specifically at his erection, Will's flush having been replaced by a more pallid skin tone, the scent of anxiety filtering through all the other scents in the room.

Hannibal remained where he was when he saw Will's face, and he waited, deciding to just let Will _look_ and determine whether he still wanted to proceed. Several seconds of silence passed and then Will took in a breath and raised his eyes to meet Hannibal's and he seemed to realize Hannibal was waiting expectantly,

"I know h-how this works…" so he chose to explain himself, "…I'm just reevaluating…my expectations, of, uh, of how much it's going to hurt." his eyes flitted back to Hannibal's sex and he swallowed nervously.

It wasn't intended as a compliment, but Hannibal couldn't help feeling pleased at Will's indirect acknowledgment that he was very well endowed. He didn't let it show though, keeping his expression completely neutral as he regarded Will,

"I intend to avoid hurting you as much as possible, Will."

Will huffed out an unamused laugh and half shrugged,

"I-it will though, it's unavoidable." he said soberly and took in another deep breath.

And it occurred to Hannibal then, that for Will, as a man who'd only ever slept with women, the concept of being physically hurt during sex was probably one of the larger cons in this endeavor, because generally it was the female who endured discomfort during penetration, if there was any to be had. It made Hannibal wonder whether Will had ever considered how a female felt during sex, as he knew that most men generally didn't. In his years as a therapist, Hannibal had had many male and female patients, who'd all had contradicting opinions of intercourse with the opposite sex.

That curiosity was of no consequence right then though, because regardless of anything else, Will was right… penetration would hurt him, even if only minimally, it was indeed unavoidable.

"You are right, there will be pain, during and residually," he said plainly and Will grimaced slightly, "but I can assure you that it will be far from severe, little more than a slight discomfort actually." he added honestly.

Will watched him thoughtfully for a moment before he asked,

"You've done this?" and Hannibal found the question a bit strange, because surely Will didn't need to ask, but then the younger man clarified what he meant, "I mean, have you done this from…uh, this perspective." Will gestured to his naked self.

Hannibal raised his eyebrows in understanding then, and he decided to be honest,

"Yes, it's been almost three decades since, but yes, I have."

Will blinked a few times at the confession, his eyes widening briefly, and whether it was because Hannibal had admitted to having been on the receiving end of penetrative sex or because of the amount of time that had passed since he had, he wasn't certain. Either way, he'd experienced it and he remembered it clearly.

And even though he had always had a rather high pain threshold, from what he recalled of his experience at twenty one years old, it hadn't been anywhere close to what he'd consider painful. And the male lovers he'd had since then had never complained about being greatly pained after being with him, not in any way that wasn't intended to be a compliment or erotically provocative. Even with his considerable endowment, Hannibal had never yet hurt a lover, not unless they'd wanted him to. As far as he was concerned, sex was a low and depraved way to harm someone, a disgusting undertaking that said more about the person doing it than about the victim. Such a thing was beneath Hannibal, a predator of his caliber, he would never lower himself to hurting anyone in that way.

Hannibal knew that his admission wasn't particularly reassuring, but despite that, Will must have picked up on his emotional sincerity, because he nodded slowly and quietly accepted it,

"Yeah…okay…"

Hannibal watched then, as Will leaned back onto his elbows and while he didn't spread his legs, he also didn't keep his knees completely together, assuming a more relaxed position that gave Hannibal a very enticing but slight display of Will's private places between his thighs. If it was done consciously or unconsciously, he had no idea because Will's face gave nothing away. But it was more than enough to bring another rush of blood to Hannibal's sex, and Hannibal was aware that Will had seen his cock twitch and sway lightly, hanging heavy with blood, engorged and thick…all because of Will.

And Hannibal refused to hide his attraction and desire from Will, because he was not ashamed of it in any way.

When Will looked into his face again, Hannibal saw only slight nervousness, no disgust or apprehension, and so he stepped forward, two short paces bringing him to the foot of the bed. He moved slowly then, raising one knee and then the other, and once he was balanced on the bed, he leaned forward and pressed his hands into the mattress before proceeding to slink up to Will like a big, svelte cat.

And the positional adjustment that followed was smooth and almost natural, with the way Will slid his planted feet in a downward V over the duvet cover, his legs parting slow and easy, Will watching him as he touched his hands to Will's ankles and then slid them up the younger man's legs. Hannibal caressed Will's calves and the backs of his knees and his thighs until he was kneeling between the brunette's willingly spread legs and looking into his face at closer proximity.

Will's thigh muscles were lightly tensed beneath his hands, but Will was still fairly relaxed, still leaning back and looking up at him, eyes more or less settled on his own.

"Like this?" Will asked Hannibal then, breathing slightly shallow, "This is how you want me, right?" he clarified, his voice lightly shaken and his choice of words drove a spike of heat straight to Hannibal's cock.

Hannibal's lips parted on a tense breath, his cock straining –which Will noticed- as he reeled with the intense urge to _claim_ that once again rushed through him. He squeezed Will's thighs firmly as he steeled himself against his desire and his mouth twitched in displeasure when he was forced to clarify, yet again, that,

"This is about what you want as well, Will." he said as evenly as he could, "We shall only proceed if you are certain and if you are _wanting_ , not just willing." he added gruffly, unable to stop himself from trailing his gaze over Will's lean musculature…

…and absently, with a pang of disappointment, he noted that Will was _still_ not aroused, and so he was reminded that they may not even get as far as penetrative sex that night, if ever.

Will blinked twice languidly and then briefly let his eyes fall closed, taking a deep breath before he reopened them and nodded,

"I do, I want this…" he reassured quietly and laid back fully then, one arm down at his side while he slid the other up and grabbed a pillow to settle it under his head before he lowered that arm as well. He met Hannibal's eyes again once he was settled, "I want this, Hannibal, it isn't just about you…it's about me too…" he swallowed lightly and tested Hannibal's patience when he took his own cock in his hand and slowly, lightly began fondling and stimulating himself, "…it's about us." Will added and with his other hand he reached up and took a light hold of Hannibal's neck, tugging him down.

Not about to trust his own desires in that moment, Hannibal followed Will's direction instead, leaning down when he was pulled in, catching himself on his hands at the sides of Will's head before lowering himself to his elbows and just then Will tilted his head back just so and parted his lips with his tongue, drawing Hannibal in to kiss him again.

It began as just lip to lip kisses again, but while still being gradual, the build up to widely parted mouths and the sliding, wet stroking of their tongues came much quicker than before. And Hannibal was careful to concentrate his balance on his knees and elbows, making no more bodily contact with Will than that of the few places Will's legs brushed his own, where Will's thighs grazed his hips and where their mouths were connected, thinking it unwise to lay himself atop the younger man…thinking it would be too much too soon, for both of them.

Instead he focused on enjoying Will's mouth as he lavished it with covetous attention, leaving off every now and then to kiss along the younger man's jawline and to mouth wet kisses over and under the angle of his chin, only briefly though, long enough to allow Will space to _breathe_ before he returned his mouth to Will's own. And in between their bodies, he was aware of Will's hand moving, the younger man still touching himself as they kissed.

Hannibal was keen to know whether the younger man's self-stimulation was yielding any results, but he kept himself in suspense and remained focused on kissing Will for several minutes, until the strain became too much…but not on his muscles, no, it was more specifically the strain in his loins he was struggling with.

He wanted so badly to lower his hips and touch his hard, weeping cock to Will's body, to rub it against Will's inner thigh or his hip, to press it to Will's stomach…and the thought of such simple, intimate touches were enough to make him dizzy. Something more directly sexual, like the thought of Will's glorious mouth being anywhere near his cock, he couldn't even allow himself to imagine it in any detail. It was too risky right then, he doubted his self-control would hold up.

He could however, give into the idea of having his own mouth on Will's sex…yes, because that was within the realm of basic sex acts. Deciding that, he licked into Will's pliant mouth a few more times before he left off again, but that time he trailed his kisses deliberately downward, over Will's chin, over the front and then the sides of his neck, onto one of his well-muscled shoulders, down along his clavicle to where he licked into the hollow there.

Will's hesitant hands slid into his hair then, and the feeling of the younger man tentatively gliding slim fingers through his hair, untidying it from its styled state, disturbed him for how much he enjoyed the light touch. Hannibal took a deep breath against Will's sternum, inhaling the scent of Will's skin directly and he felt the effect of the scent give life to new heat and arousal throughout his body, another thick droplet of precome seeping out from the head of his cock. Luckily, having moved low enough down the bed, the sticky substance strung its way down onto the bed cover and not onto Will's skin.

Which was disappointing, but also for the best, since Hannibal didn't know how Will would react to any part of his cock or seminal fluid making contact with the younger man's flesh just yet. He had to keep going slow.

Hannibal trailed his lips to Will's left nipple then and lightly, just to test, he kissed at the pert nub and followed after with a swipe of his tongue, and when the younger man's hand stilled between them, he wanted to gauge Will's reaction so he raised his head slightly and looked up. And he found that Will was neither looking at him, nor clenching his eyes shut, instead he was focused on the ceiling, his chest rising and falling, mouth slightly open and his lips were still damp and reddened from Hannibal's kisses.

It wasn't much to go on, since Will wasn't being particularly expressive, but it also wasn't a bad reaction of any kind, and so Hannibal returned to his task and _sucked_ on Will's nipple, just enough for it to be almost sore without actually hurting the younger man…and it was the first time Hannibal managed to elicit a sound from Will.

It was a soft surprised noise, and perhaps it was involuntary because when Hannibal looked up at him again, Will's lips were pursed and the younger man's hands had tightened slightly in his hair.

Again, it wasn't enough to tell him what Will was feeling or thinking, and being so intimately close, Hannibal's senses were so overwhelmed with Will's various scents that he was having trouble distinctly telling anything apart aside from hints of nervousness and that curious smell that was like arousal, but was not sexually potent enough.

The obscurity of the situation made Hannibal impatient, and wanting a physical gauge of how Will was feeling, he chanced a glance down between their bodies, and when his eyes fell on Will's semi-erect penis Hannibal felt relief and the heat already simmering beneath his skin and in his loins coiled tighter and made his thighs and lower abdomen ache briefly. The fact that Will was physically showing arousal was very promising.

Feeling encouraged, Hannibal took in a deeper, calmer breath and when Will's hands slid down from his hair onto his shoulders uncertainly, he returned his mouth to the brunette's skin. Will made another quiet noise when he continued to mouth at the younger man's nipple, it wasn't a moan but it wasn't a negative sound either. And when Hannibal moved onto the other one, licking and kissing and sucking at the hard nub and the area of smooth skin and muscle around it, Will's hands slid back up into his hair and splayed out in a slow rake of his blunt nails, and he made another noise then, that time something closer to a sharp, shaken intake of breath.

Hannibal moved on next, continually encouraged by Will's subtle responses, and he mouthed and wetly kissed his way down over Will's stomach, reveling in the slight tremor and rise and fall there with the way Will's breathing stuttered, especially when Hannibal teased his tongue into the shallow dip of his naval, Will's abdomen contracting with the hitch in his breath.

And then Hannibal was licking and nosing through the soft hair leading downward from Will's naval…

…and the scent was **sublime**. Being that intimately close he could smell the raw virility of Will's burgeoning sex; _everything_ of and surrounding it was heady in its richness, viscerally sexual and masculine and torrid. As he moved lower still, Hannibal felt the textured, warm slide of Will's cock against the front of his throat. He dipped his head then so that he could nuzzle into the younger man's pubic hair and Will tensed as he did so, his hands lightly clenching in Hannibal's hair.

Hannibal's hands had been sliding along the mattress along either side of Will's body throughout his descent, but at that point, when he touched his lips to the skin of Will's cock and then opened his mouth without hesitation and took Will's semi-erection into his mouth, Hannibal set his hands firmly on Will's hips and held him there.

Will took in another sharp breath and let out a shocked half-moan, the younger man absently bringing his legs together so that the soft insides of his thighs were pressed to the broad span of either of Hannibal's shoulders.

Hannibal chose not to be tentative about performing oral sex on Will, because the younger man had undoubtedly been on the receiving end of such an act before, and so the action would –hopefully- have positive associations for him and as such, would be very well received. So he sucked Will's cock as expertly as he knew how to, swallowing it down to the base on every other downward slide of his mouth, sucking hard and wet as he drew up…

…and he _felt_ as Will's erection gradually filled out under his direct ministrations, and he _heard_ as Will started to make noises of pleasure in earnest, was all too aware of the subtle hitching of Will's hips in reaction to the fellatio, seeking more and wanting to thrust.

And quickly Will was fully erect, which made his cock a little more difficult for Hannibal to swallow down every time, but he compensated by alternating between deep throating and then sucking and tonguing at the sensitive head of Will's circumcised, sizeable cock as it throbbed inside his mouth, rough and hot against his tongue, thick between his swollen lips, leaking traces of precome into the back of his throat…and it was _divine_ , the taste and texture would be unforgettable.

Will was gripping and lightly pulling at his hair now as the younger man moaned and subtly arched his hips into Hannibal's generous slow sucking. And Hannibal was quite pleased to finally be making Will tremble with something other than nervousness, to be eliciting moans of breathy curse words from Will and to have made the brunette achieve proper arousal.

And he was almost lost to the taste of Will and the pleasant ache of his jaw around the younger man's sex when Hannibal heard Will's breaths catching more consistently, hips jerking more roughly and felt his thighs press closer against his shoulders as one of Will's hands slid down to the base of his skull, fingers tangling into his hair unconsciously.

Hannibal drew off then with one tight, wet suck and let Will's flush, spit shiny cock slip from his mouth onto the brunette's tensing abdomen. And Will cursed, the buildup of sexual pleasure in his body no doubt ebbing away quickly. Hannibal smirked up at Will when the younger man's hands left his hair and Will placed them over his eyes as he breathed heavily, wetting his red lips with a few desperate swipes of his tongue as his _almost_ -orgasm high faded.

Hannibal would not let Will go over just yet, as much as he wanted to swallow Will's come, to taste it and feel it coat his tongue and slide down his throat, Hannibal felt it would be best for Will to orgasm during the period of penetration, so that he would be able to associate anal sex with pleasure just as he did blow jobs.

He licked his lips a few times, tasting Will there as he watched and listened to the younger man's breathing regulate somewhat. There was still more to taste though, and Hannibal was admittedly greedy to treat his palate to more of Will's intimate flavors. So he dipped his head again and licked a stripe over Will's hard cock once languidly –drawing another moan from the brunette- before he moved on to suck on the tense, contracted skin of Will's balls –and elicited another divine sound of surprise and pleasure from him. Hannibal lingered there, mouthing at Will's scrotum for a pleasurable moment, but when he trailed lower and only barely licked at Will's perineum, he felt the younger man tense up abruptly, Will's legs actually jerking slightly in a way that Hannibal could only perceive as being startled.

Deciding that was not a good response, he slowly kissed and mouthed his way back up, returning his attention to Will's scrotum and erection , and when he felt Will begin to relax again, his breathing easing after his slight start, Hannibal knew he'd assumed correctly and had made the right choice not to go _there_ with his mouth.

He did a quick mental addition then, putting; no analingus, onto his list of don'ts with regards to Will and sex.

The list wouldn't last forever, but some of those points probably wouldn't be dropped any time soon -should they engage in sex again in the future- and it wasn't hard to guess which ones would take a while to do away with.

Aside from the emasculating and debasing don'ts, such as rough handling, domineering, hair pulling, dirty talking, etcetera, rimming was likely one of the biggest no-no's, because since Will was just easing out of his strict heterosexuality, in which for most straight men –and even a few who were bi or gay- the idea of anal sex or anal play of any kind was revolting at worst and unappealing at best, the act of rimming would be extremely off putting. Will was likely somewhere in between disgust and apprehension on the idea of that particular sex act and judging by the way he'd tensed up, Hannibal surmised that if he attempted to rim the younger man right then, either he'd get shoved off and Will would shut the whole thing down for good, or Will would be completely put off the idea of kissing him, and maybe not even just for the duration of that particular bout of sex.

And Hannibal was not willing to risk the latter, let alone the former, so he would stick to the safe zone. He knew Will liked his cock sucked, so he returned to that, but only for a short while, just to relax the younger man again, before he drew off and started to trail kisses over the V lines of Will's abdomen, slowly moving lower to kiss at the inside of one of his thighs, and it was there that Hannibal left off completely and sat up and back on his knees, taking in a slow, deep breath and licking his lips.

"Will…" he breathed out, being slightly short on breath himself from the exertion of performing oral sex and also due to the buildup of arousal in his body. Reflexively, he took his own cock in his hand and lightly stroked himself, just enough to gain some relief, sliding his palm and fingers up and down just so and in the way he usually preferred, slowly and steadily stimulating his foreskin over his shaft, from the base to the tip of his cock.

"Hm…ye-ah?" Will took a dazed moment before he lifted his head to look down at him, and after seeing what Hannibal was doing he let it fall back, swallowing tensely, before he shifted again to bring himself up onto one elbow, "Yeah?" he repeated, his gaze flitting up but ultimately settling on Hannibal's crotch.

He looked flushed and his pupils were slightly dilated, his eyes hooded and his skin lightly sweated. And as Will tracked his eyes up again until their gazes met, Hannibal could only think of one thing while looking into the younger man's face; that he was absolutely breathtaking.

Hannibal couldn't help the hitch in his breath and resulting momentary expression of bliss on his face when his light masturbation coupled with the sight of Will rippled a wave of pleasure through him. And Will's eyes widened briefly, the younger man seemingly caught somewhere between embarrassment and fascination when he witnessed it. Will dropped his eyes from Hannibal's face then, back to where he was stroking his cock, and after a moment of their deep breathing in the silence, Will parted his legs wider…and that time it was _definitely_ intentional.

Hannibal offered Will a slow smirk of approval and Will was not unaffected by it, Hannibal watching voraciously as the younger man's erection twitched in response, shifting against his tense abdomen. And a second later when Will took himself in hand and started to masturbate himself as well, Hannibal was physically unable to take a breath for a moment.

It was obvious enough to Hannibal that his own desire was feeding Will's, and it might have just been due to Will's empathy, but since the younger man had gained far more control over his empathic gift since he'd been with Hannibal, he hoped it was more a case of that his openly displayed desire for Will was encouraging and giving the younger man confidence in his own still developing interests. And that was good, it was brilliant actually…there was no healthier way for a sexual relationship to develop between them than by mutual desire and experience and feelings.

Forgetting what he'd intended to say, Hannibal dropped himself forward again, catching himself on one hand as he angled his head and caught Will's open mouth in a kiss, a kiss that was rather obscene in the amount of tongue he found himself immediately using. But Will didn't pull away, instead he let his head fall back and tilted it accommodatingly as he parted his lips and allowed Hannibal to tongue fuck his mouth, he even reciprocated as much as he could, which was excellent.

Hannibal drew back when he noticed Will having trouble breathing and swallowing and after reeling himself in with a few wide mouth kisses to Will's jaw and cheek, he pressed his lips to Will's ear,

"Let me know when you're ready, Will." he put the decision in Will's hands.

Will had achieved an erection, Will was being fully reciprocal, Will was _enjoying_ it and with all of those boxes now ticked on Hannibal's mental 'proceed with penetration' check list, it meant they could go ahead.

Short of Will stopping him at the actual time of entry, Hannibal was certain it was going to happen.

And sure enough, Will was nodding, breathing heavily after their heated bout of kissing as he said,

"Yeah, _Hannibal_ , I'm ready…" and Will really tested Hannibal's restraint when the younger man said his name that way, just on the side of sexy, breathy and hitched and probably not at all intentional.

Will's existence seemed impossible…and yet he was perfect and real.

With Will's verbal go ahead, Hannibal sat back again, remaining between Will's legs as he reached behind him to the foot of the bed, to where he'd dropped the tube of surgical lubricant.

He was unscrewing the cap from the unused tube when Will leaned back on both of his elbows and asked quietly,

"Should I stay on my back?"

Hannibal glanced at Will as he squeezed the clear gel onto his right hand fingers, and when he had a generous enough amount he stopped and focused on the younger man, wetting his lips before he spoke,

"What would you prefer?"

"I don't know, Hannibal." Will answered immediately, swallowing lightly and shaking his head, "I don't know if there's a _recommended_ way to do this the first time…is there?" he raised an eyebrow, the haze of pleasurable foreplay dissipating now that the reality that he was about to be anally penetrated was being plainly addressed.

Hannibal saw the tension seeping back into Will's body incrementally and he immediately tried to appease the younger man, holding sincere eye contact when he spoke next,

"Many people would recommend many different positions or settings for this, Will. But I assure you that while those opinions will differ from person to person, the two constants and only necessities of anal sex are the use of lubricant and condoms." Hannibal was aware that while his voice was not doctorly, it was somewhat clinical considering the position and situation they were in. But the concise surety of his voice and words seemed to relax Will, so he kept it that way, "Lubricant is intended for safe, unharmful and pleasurable penetration, and condoms for the prevention of contracting or passing on STD's," he paused and then changed his tone to questioning, "the latter of which you've already decided is unnecessary between us due to the monogamous status of our relationship?" he had to reconfirm that Will was still fine with that, because anything less than absolute confidence and consent on Will's part would not be acceptable to him.

Will blinked up at him and then raised his eyebrows, clearing his throat as he nodded,

"Yeah, yeah, no condom is fine…" and apparently Hannibal's words grounded him because he made his decision, "…and I'd like to be on my, uh, like this, facing you." and in making such a decision, it meant Will was one hundred percent consenting and acknowledging that they would be engaging in full intercourse, which was relieving for Hannibal, who despised the feelings of uncertainty that had been lingering in him all along.

A feeling that had been a side effect of loving Will Graham for the longest time.

"Perfect." Hannibal smiled –very pleased with the younger man's choice-, and Will returned the smile before his gaze drifted to where Hannibal was rubbing his fingers together in order to evenly distribute the lube over them. The implication of what he was going to do made Will flush from his chest up and Hannibal had the momentary urge to suggest Will finger himself. But as quickly as the thought came, he banished it, adding that idea to his don'ts list, because such a suggestion would likely flare up Will's negative heterosexualist preconceptions of anal play.

Hannibal was just wondering how slow he'd have to go with using his fingers when Will revealed that he had no delusions about what would come next,

"I, uh…I used a…" he cleared his throat and dropped his gaze, "…an, uh, an enema, so…it's, um, I'm…I'm not…you know…" he was frowning, "…I mean, I'm c-clean f-for you, uh, for this…" by that point Will was positively glowing red and Hannibal was wonderstruck, wanting to know just how much _thinking_ and _researching –_ and _planning?-_ Will had been doing for their encounter that he'd gone out and purchased a disposable enema.

It was rather arousing, imagining Will researching the specifics of being prepared for anal sex. Had he also looked at pornography, had it aroused him? Or had he looked into it on a purely technical level? Was that how he'd come to deem himself _ready_ to partake in a homosexual experience, because he'd been spending his free time educating himself and assessing his own interests? Hannibal was terribly curious…still, he would ask absolutely no questions, even though he found it odd that Will had purchased an enema but hadn't thought to buy condoms or lube, but then, perhaps he'd been too embarrassed to purchase it all at once?

Hannibal also wouldn't risk doing anything to discourage whatever made Will feel comfortable,

"That was very thoughtful, Will." he responded simply and Will just blushed even harder. Hannibal wasn't sure what would have been the best response though, since he'd embarrassed Will even when trying not to.

Deciding it was best not to linger on it, he splayed his lube sticky fingers for Will to see,

"May I?" and really, there was actually something arousing about asking politely to finger Will, it was almost sweet.

And Will flushed all over again, practically radiating heat even as he nodded and lied back down. And Hannibal was pleased that the younger man managed a small smile, and was even more pleased when Will drew his legs up, feet off the bed, knees near his chest, and he let his legs fall apart wider.

What _indeed_ had Will been researching?

Hannibal's mouth felt too dry then and – _again_ \- his restraint nearly buckled at the sight of Will being so accommodating…just for him. Spread eagled as he was, it allowed for complete exposure, nothing discreet, nothing hidden, just Will's flesh toned and pink tinged anal pucker made completely visible to him. Even the sparse hair in Will's most private area was quite seemly, but then, Will was not a hairy man in general. The beard he was so easily able to maintain and only tended to about once a week was a testament to his lack of excess body hair.

He truly was beautiful. _Everywhere._

Hannibal contemplated informing Will of just how much time he'd like to spend eating Will out and fingering him until he came from the oral and internal stimulation alone…but he doubted such verbalized desires would be well received, not just yet.

First things first, Will had to want to do any of anything they did that night, again in the future, before they might ever get to do anything else. Keeping that in mind, Hannibal rubbed his sticky fingers together again absently as he lowered his hand between Will's legs and he brought the tube nearer as well, squeezing more of the lube directly onto Will's skin, into the crease between his spread buttocks so that it dribbled directly over and into the dip of his hole, right before he gently massaged all of his fingers together around and over Will's anus.

Will's reaction to the unfamiliar touch was mixed and interesting, the younger man's every muscle tensing up at the highly intimate and very sexual contact Hannibal was making with him. Will's lips pursed tightly as a shaken breath rushed out through his nose, his toes curled and his hands clenched into fists. Best of all though, was that Will's sex throbbed against his abdomen, and beneath Hannibal's fingers his asshole twitched, briefly swelling outward before contracting tightly again.

Hannibal's own cock strained in reaction to Will's reaction, and he didn't let up, continuing to gently –but with enough pressure to be unmistakable _-_ , rub and press and massage in small circles, and up and down, over the opening and in just so. And Will responded to the touches accordingly –his body and his anus-, with twitches and trembling and a rosy flush, and Will's breathing increased and hitched and even though he'd closed his eyes, he placed his hands over them as well.

Hannibal inhaled deeply then, taking in the distinct scent of _arousal_ now permeating from Will, and while it was still mixed in with nervousness and Will was trembling quite a bit more than he'd been before, the brunette's erection hadn't waned, so Hannibal knew they were still in the green. And after a minute of getting Will used to the sensation of his fingers touching him so intimately, Hannibal squeezed another drizzle of lube over his fingers before sliding his middle finger slowly into Will's lube slickened hole.

He had to pause, taking a moment and several deep breaths when he felt himself get dizzy, becoming lightheaded from the sensation and reality of breaching Will's body. And Will shivered bodily as Hannibal slid his finger in all the way, gradually, the first knuckle, the second and then to the last, the younger man's lips parting as he sucked in air slowly through his clenched teeth. But Hannibal knew it couldn't be hurting him, because Will was fairly relaxed -silken, hot and yielding- around his slender finger. So if Will wasn't hurting, then he was probably just mentally reacting to what he knew Hannibal was doing, to where he knew Hannibal's finger was.

But while Will's reaction was somewhat discouraging, Hannibal was not going to stop unless Will told him to. And so he slid his finger back out halfway and then eased it back in, spreading the lube inside Will with soft squelches as he slowly moved his finger and rotated his wrist slightly. He pressed softly against Will's walls when he moved inward, stimulating the sensitive anal and rectal nerves first, choosing not to go directly into stimulating Will's prostate just in case it would be too much too soon.

As it were, the younger man was clenching up around Hannibal's finger and his breathing was getting a little erratic the steadier Hannibal fingered him, and hoping to offset whatever mental discomfort Will was experiencing, Hannibal set the lube down by his knee and used his free hand to gently massage his palm up over Will's balls, before he took the younger man's cock into his hand and lightly stroked it.

Will made a noise of surprise and uncertainty, and drawn abruptly from his snowballing mental negativity, he lowered his hands to his sides, opened his eyes and unclenched his jaw as he started consciously taking in deeper breaths. And after a few seconds of slow masturbation and fingering, Will's hips absently hitched up into Hannibal's sensual strokes. Smirking, pleased and relieved, Hannibal set the rhythm of his hand on Will's cock to match the movement of his finger inside.

He worked patiently, focused on the nuances of Will's breathing and physical reactions to his touches, and the second he felt Will was relaxed enough inside, he slid his single finger out and reinserted two together. Will's legs jerked lightly then and his toes clenched again, his walls tightening up vice-like around Hannibal's fingers at only the second knuckle. Hannibal bit down hard on his jaw and exhaled slowly through his nose, his own terribly neglected erection straining at the firm clench, and having his fingers inside Will –so tight and warm and smooth- was already doing a number on his self-control, and so with Will's additional tensions and discomfort, Hannibal was becoming frustrated.

"Does it hurt?" he asked huskily, despite knowing that Will couldn't really be registering anything more than a mild stretch that would really only feel unusual, perhaps in a discomfiting way, perhaps vaguely uncomfortable, but certainly not _painful._

Will's eyes were clenched shut again, his hands hovering tensely over the duvet at his sides and his lips were trembling, but his cock was hard and leaking as Hannibal masturbated him steadily, and Hannibal really didn't know what to make of the confusing and contradictory reactions Will was having to the stimulation.

And in answer to his question, Will only shook his head…and didn't say anything else.

So that was just impossibly _unhelpful_.

He didn't say 'stop' or 'I don't like it, get off me' or anything definitively negative, so Hannibal continued, ceasing stroking Will's sex so that he could apply more lube to the point where his fingers were easing into the younger man's opening. Once he was in to the last knuckle with two fingers, Hannibal drew his fingers out and pushed them back in steadily, using the ample lubrication and making sure Will's insides were coated very well as he began to twist and scissor his fingers. He licked his lips and felt overheated as he watched the stretch of Will's hole around his digits, and he became distracted by the sight for a minute as he worked his fingers slow and deep and down, avoiding Will's prostate intentionally.

And Will relaxed again after a short while, the younger man making a soft humming noise in the back of his throat. Hannibal was drawn from his dazed, aroused, dry mouthed gaze between Will's legs at the sound, and then he swallowed a sound of his own at the sight of Will's shaking hand settling around his own erection before the brunette started to masturbate himself again, picking up where Hannibal had left off, his strokes light and slow, just for mild stimulation. Roaming his gaze further up over the flushed plains of Will's gorgeous body, Hannibal found himself smiling to see Will's facial expression was settled somewhere between embarrassment and **pleasure**.

Hannibal's balls were starting to hurt by that point and he immediately brought his free hand to stroke himself just as lightly, watching Will do the same and watching his fingers move in and out of Will…and when the younger man worked up the courage to meet Hannibal's eyes, Hannibal rewarded him by turning his fingers inside Will, sliding in and crooking upward, grazing the brunette's prostate just so.

And Will's entire body jerked in response as the brunette huffed out a pitchy curse, all movement coming to a halt as he frowned down at Hannibal with an unclear expression of his feelings on his face. So Hannibal did it again, curious to see whether Will would actually manage a discernable expression of whether or not he liked it, but all he received for his trouble from the younger male was a deeper frown and short groan.

Hannibal's stomach dropped out at the sound of that –familiar- displeased groan…it sounded too similar to the way Will had sounded when he'd shoved Hannibal off him after that second kiss so long ago.

Hannibal felt uneasy then, already anticipating rejection with an ache in his chest, not knowing what to make of the sound.

And Will had just gone ahead and shut his eyes again as he panted unevenly, no longer touching himself, and his anal walls were tense around Hannibal's fingers…in fact, all of his muscles were tensed, the complete opposite of how relaxed he'd been a moment before, and Hannibal was at a total loss of how to read the situation. He swallowed tensely –sorely because his throat felt so dry- and then withdrew his fingers from Will as he removed his other hand from his erection and reached for the lube again.

He took note that Will still hadn't told him to stop, and the brunette's erection was still present, so, pointedly ignoring the ache in his chest, Hannibal tapped into his deepest reserves of self-control and patience and once again he drizzled lube onto his fingers…and then between Will's buttocks as well.

He kept his eyes on Will's face first, looking for any hint of unspoken objection and when he saw none, Hannibal lowered his gaze to watch as the clear substance slipped over Will's skin and into his slightly stretched opening.

Hannibal became still when Will moved next, and he watched as the brunette lowered his legs to settle his feet flat on the mattress again, but he didn't say or do anything else, and abruptly overcome with irritation at Will not giving him any idea of how to proceed, Hannibal made a decision on his own and he pressed three slick fingers into Will. Immediately Will groaned again, his body jolting with a –lesser- start as he relifted just one of his legs. And Hannibal's mouth twitched in irritation because he despised that Will wouldn't look at him, the younger man keeping his eyes shut determinedly. He wouldn't lose his composure though, there was too much at risk, so with his jaw clenched tightly, Hannibal eased his fingers through the tenseness of Will's rectal walls until he was in three fingers deep up to his last knuckles and Will's hole was stretched tautly around the moderate girth.

It was definitely an uncomfortable stretch for a first timer and Will's frown and tense breathing was understandable then. Hannibal, not wanting to lose Will to the discomfort, dropped forward and balanced on one forearm at the side of Will's head and as he lightly fiddled with the damp curls within his reach, he looked down into the younger man's scrunched up, lightly sweated face, his clenched teeth and the flare of his nostrils.

Hannibal swallowed the demand he wanted to make that Will look at him as he continued to finger the younger man, alternating between two and three fingers, in and out, stretching and twisting, almost on autopilot…because he'd done it so many times and he _knew_ how to prepare and pleasure a lover.

But Will…Will was always so hard to figure out.

Knowing better than to demand anything, Hannibal inhaled and exhaled slowly, tracking his eyes over Will's face as he eased himself into a softer demeanor, something he was only capable of where Will was concerned, and he lowered his head then so that he was close enough to brush his nose to Will's, a small nudge made in hopes of getting the younger man to look at him…

…and Will did, his eyes unclenching and slowly opening and meeting Hannibal's soft gaze head on. Hannibal saw nervousness and anxiousness and discomfort in the younger man's eyes, but he also saw affection and it calmed him significantly. He withdrew all of his fingers from Will's body then –the younger man exhaling shortly when he did- and he brought his other arm up so he could balance his weight on both of his forearms.

He kept his gaze steadily on Will's frowning face, their breaths mingling as he waited for the lines of discomfort to slowly ease away until they were simply watching one another with half lidded eyes, less the tension and stress… and then Hannibal slowly leaned in and pressed a kiss to Will's mouth…softly. So softly.

Will trembled lightly then, the tender kiss garnering a decidedly positive response as the younger man leaned up to initiate another kiss, and Hannibal felt relief, once again pleased to know Will was still there and actually _wanted_ to be there.

They kissed then, in the way Will liked, all clinging lips, gentle mouthing and slow sucks, and Hannibal eased into it, allowing Will to lead at first before he took over and kissed Will in the same sensual manner, nothing like he usually would, but in the way Will had been kissing him, because it seemed to relax Will and Hannibal would do whatever was needed to make the brunette feel better.

The kisses were languid and only occasionally included deep licks and slides of their tongues, and Will responded positively to the tender change by bringing his hands up so that they no longer hovered and tugged at the duvet and instead settled on the damp skin of Hannibal's sides. And as they kissed, Will's hands caressed there absently, sometimes clenching or his fingers splaying out and even though his touches were minimal and didn't stray from Hannibal's sides and flanks, it was better than nothing at all.

Hannibal had no idea when just a little had become enough, but it seemed it most certainly was where Will was concerned. He tried for more though, slowly lowering himself so that he was lying atop Will, lightly at first, and Hannibal was thrilled when Will pressed up against him into the light contacting of their bodies. And so he settled his weight flush on top of the younger man, between his spread legs and in that position he could finally experience the feeling of Will's naked skin against his cock, and the younger man's erection trapped beside his own between their stomachs. Hannibal could also feel the light stick and unstick of Will's stomach against his own when the younger man breathed in between kisses, and the feeling of his hard nipples brushing against Hannibal's chest.

It was heavenly, the tangibility of their proper closeness, and Hannibal felt drunk on it for a moment and just allowed himself to appreciate being _there_ ; lying naked with and against and kissing Will Graham. And he was struck then with more than just the re-realization that he was hopelessly in love with the younger man, but also with the fact that he would be content if that was where it ended for the evening, if it was where it ended for good. Hannibal realized that he could exist just being with Will in presence, without ever _being_ with Will, so long as he would just be allowed to occasionally kiss and feel and lay with him…it was a whole new intimacy on its own, something he'd never known could feel so genuine and right before, and it could really be _enough_ if it had to be.

But it didn't, at least not right then.

They kissed for a minute or maybe longer, Hannibal wasn't even sure, all he knew was that Will's soft indiscernible noises and the slide and press and suckling of Will's warm, damp mouth against his own was just deliriously perfect and fulfilling. So when Will turned away from the kiss, Hannibal exhaled in disappointment as he mouthed at the brunette's cheek, but the feeling was quickly replaced by a charge of arousal when he felt Will's hands sliding further down to settle on his hips, the younger man's fingers splaying out so that the tips were grazing the mounds of Hannibal's ass as Will said breathily against his cheek,

"Hannibal…"

Immediately Hannibal snapped his gaze up from tracking over the line of Will's angular jaw and the column of his flushed neck to lock eyes with Will, and all the brunette did then was nod. He didn't need to say anything more, Hannibal understood that he was ready to move forward, he was ready to go through with it to completion. Hannibal had not even needed to ask that time, Will had chosen to let him know without prompting.

Hannibal swallowed around the abruptly formed lump of emotion in his throat and he nodded as well before he shifted, moving down Will's body with a kiss here and there until he was sitting back on his legs again. He held eye contact with Will as he retrieved the lube from where it'd rolled behind Will's thigh and he squeezed the amount that remained in the tube into his hand and then spread it over his straining cock, deciding that more was better than anything else if it meant hurting Will as little as possible.

Hannibal wet his lips and pursed them as Will raised up onto his elbows and tracked his eyes downward to watch him slick the lube over his sex, the younger man's green-blue eyes half lidded and focused on the stroke and squelch of Hannibal's hand along his long, thick cock. And while Will didn't look like he was eagerly anticipating taking Hannibal's length and girth, he also didn't look at it with trepidation or reluctance.

"Will I bleed or something?" Will asked quietly in a slightly husky voice as he looked up into Hannibal's face.

Hannibal glanced from Will's flush reddened, lightly swollen hole to the younger man's face,

"There is a possibility of it, but it's not a particularly high one." he answered as evenly as he could while dealing with the pleasurable feeling of making sure every inch of his erection was slicked.

Will accepted that answer with a briefly hiked eyebrow, and Hannibal stopped once his sex was sufficiently lubed, and then while still looking at Will, he reached between the younger man's legs and massaged the excess lube over his opening.

Will sucked in a breath at the unexpected touch and Hannibal leaned forward and kissed him, lapping his tongue a few times into Will's mouth as he gently urged him to lie back down. Will did so and Hannibal settled with one forearm beside Will's head as he drew back from the kiss and reached his other hand between their bodies to take a hold of his cock and align it with Will's hole.

Hannibal was partially on autopilot again, as close to being _inside_ Will as he presently was, it made him a little less coherent and he lost some of his soft manner. But he was very aware that he had to make sure he eased in while the lube was still wet and abundant, and that he eased in _slowly_. He kept those two things at the forefront of his mind as Will looked up at him nervously, swallowing tensely when Hannibal nudged and rubbed the head of his cock against his anus.

Hannibal leaned down for a quick, sucking kiss to Will's lips before he breathed out,

"Raise your legs," speaking against Will's parted mouth, "open them wider." and despite blushing on top of his already flushed skin, Will did as told and Hannibal felt the extra room made for his hips by Will doing so.

Hannibal held his cock then and pressed forward, applying pressure against Will's anus that was just enough for him to penetrate Will's sphincter fairly easily, sliding the slick blunt head of his sex inside.

And Will groaned shortly at the sudden stretch, panting sharply as Hannibal pressed in a little further until the second ring of muscle gave, the younger man's hands immediately grasping at Hannibal's hips. And it wasn't all that surprising when Will applied pressure _against_ his hips in a likely absent attempt to keep him from pushing in any further.

It was somewhat discouraging, but Will wasn't telling him to pull out, so Hannibal just waited…even as his patience was _desperately_ tested every second he had to remain still when he wanted so badly to bury himself in Will's silken heat. Any other lover and he would have slid himself in all the way in one go, and then he would have given them a reasonable period for adjustment before he'd start fucking.

Yes, fucking, because Hannibal didn't make love, never usually…but for Will he would, only for Will.

Usually it was a case of being cursorily courteous and gentlemanly before he went ahead and fucked the sense out of whoever was in his bed at the time, but not with Will…

Slowly, Hannibal was sinking in anyway, as was bound to happen with Will's clenching and releasing muscles spasming around his cock, aided as well by all the lube, but it was very, very gradual. Will was frowning deeply, and while he looked somewhat distressed, he also looked strikingly beautiful with his kiss-swollen mouth hanging open, his breaths coming fast and short and his eyes half-lidded as he looked between Hannibal and the ceiling.

And Will was fully aware in that moment, he knew that Hannibal would eventually be completely inside him, because he could _feel_ it happening, Hannibal could tell by every quiet hitch in his expression and breath.

"Will…" he said to draw Will's bright eyed gaze back to him and when the younger man's eyes settled on him, Hannibal kissed him again. Will was responsive enough in kissing back, but he was obviously still distracted, and so by the time Hannibal had slipped far enough in that the internal resistance was lessening, Will made a tight huffed humming sound and he tensed up so much that Hannibal involuntarily grunted into Will's mouth as the slick heat constricted around his partially embedded cock.

But as good as it felt for the moment, Hannibal knew he'd lose feeling if Will didn't ease up and relax again.

"Does…it hurt?" he elected to ask, speaking against Will's panting mouth and the younger man nodded unevenly,

"Y-yeah…"

Hannibal considered the situation as best as he could with the lack of blood in his brain, and then he voiced Will's available options in a strained, husky, heavily accented tone,

"I could…pull out and start again, do it over…and over until you relax enough to eventually... take me in…" his vocabulary was the bare minimum now as he spoke between subtle gasps of his own, "…or you could bear down, it'll go quicker…and the hardest part…will be over." he suggested frankly, wetting his lips with a quick swipe of his tongue as he tracked his eyes over Will's face and refrained from moving his hips. And he really hoped Will would just accept the less drawn out method because, well, it'd be so much easier on both of them.

Especially since Hannibal had only had one tube of surgical lube and it was now finished.

Will swallowed with an audible click and clenched his fingers on Hannibal's hips,

"Bear…down…as…as in like-…"

Hannibal kissed the rest of the awkward question away and mumbled,

"Yes, Will."

"…b-but-…it'll be…like, wh-what if..."

"It'll only feel that way." Hannibal headed off another awkward reply as he felt himself slide in just a little more and his eyes automatically drifted closed before he forced them open again.

"…" Will said nothing right away, but he was gradually relaxing again, and after a moment he blinked up at Hannibal then and nodded slightly, "…okay."

Hannibal's –pleased- response to that decision was to kiss Will again, lips first before he languidly tongued his way into Will's mouth, and then he kissed Will deeply and thoroughly, until the younger man was pressing up into the kiss and sliding his hands up to firmly grasp at Hannibal's back...and Hannibal hummed into Will's mouth in rumbling approval when, as suggested, the younger man bore down on his cock.

And with the lube still wet and just a slight application of additional pressure, Hannibal's cock began to slide in slowly, opening up Will's tight channel to his girth, and it felt impossibly good…for Hannibal at least, not for Will. Their mouths were still connected in a kiss as he filled the younger man, but Will severed the kiss abruptly when he turned his head away and exhaled tightly, obviously in pain, his head pressing back into the mattress as he groaned softly, his rectum clenching up against the feeling of Hannibal entering his body.

Hannibal managed to keep his eyes open despite the pleasure he felt as he slipped in, and he comfortingly kissed at Will's parted mouth, over his cheek and the bared side of his neck as he continued pressing in slowly. He was aware of Will's hands clutching at his hips, aware of the brunette's legs drawing together and tensing against his sides and of how Will's rectum was spasming in adjustment to the significant stretch.

And Hannibal was almost all the way in when Will's grip on his hips tightened and the younger man locked his legs around Hannibal's thighs, frowning and exhaling tense breaths as he looked up at Hannibal and huffed out,

"N-n-no…st-op mov-huh…"

Hannibal's blood ran cold and his skin prickled with shock at hearing those strained words falling from Will's mouth, his breath ghosting over Hannibal's lips in harsh rushes as he clenched his eyes tightly shut.

"Will…?" Hannibal said his name quiet and desperately, shifting as he intended to pull out of Will, terrified that he'd just crossed the line somehow and now Will would not want-

"…just wai-…uh…aaaah," Will's hands pressed down on his lower back to stop him from moving, "…aah..." and while it was a stunning, blood rushing, loins-aching, arousal inspiring sound to hear Will moan, Hannibal did not understand _why_ Will moaned. What exactly had just happened?

Will was repetitively muttering a curse word, his eyes now shut and his entire body tense and Hannibal was somewhere between stressed and aroused and was having a hard time managing the two conflicting feelings.

He wasn't used to the ups and downs he was being put through…Will was going to drive him truly insane.

"Will?" he said again, his tone firmer, hoping Will would open his eyes and look at him, give him an explanation. And when the younger man did open his eyes, he continued to frown as he took in a deep breath and then let it out shakily before he said,

"S'gonna take some, uh…getting used…to…" and when Hannibal could do little more than frown because that statement was yet another unhelpful left field comment from Will, the younger man eased up on his vice like grip with his legs and added, "…s-sorry, it kind of…it almost hurts…" mumbling his vague explanation and then taking in another breath through his nose.

Hannibal hadn't realized he was holding his breath until he felt Will's hands smoothing up along his back, a motion that was honestly quite soothing to the shocked prickle still lingering over his skin. He breathed as evenly as he could then as he absorbed Will's words, wondering if the brunette was referring to the stimulation to his prostate almost hurting, or of the penetration itself. Whichever it was, Hannibal felt himself relaxing, because either one was understandable. Prostate stimulation could be uncomfortable for how intense it was, especially the first time when you didn't know what to expect, and the soreness of being penetrated varied from person to person.

Hannibal vaguely recalled how he'd felt, as if the pressure, pleasure and pain that had been coming from inside him was the worst and best thing he'd ever felt sexually. The intensity and vulnerability he'd felt after being penetrated was one of the key reasons why he'd never done it again, having been a bit too overwhelmed, he'd felt betrayed by his own body for how quickly he'd succumbed to the pleasurable and unique internal stimulation.

He'd never go back to it, it was too much like giving up control, but he did understand Will's reaction, especially as a straight man who'd probably never expected it to feel good in the first place.

"Do you wish to continue?" Hannibal asked anyway as he lightly brushed his lips over the corner of Will's mouth. He still needed to know the simple answer to his simple question before they went any further.

And Will's response was clear, the younger man leaning up to kiss him once, moist and sticking before he drew back to nod and then Will kissed him again and slid his tongue smoothly into Hannibal's mouth, completely diminishing the lingering shock and replacing it with a fresh wave of need and desire.

And what happened next was the most natural progression of things either of them had experienced since the start of their sexual venture…

…Hannibal drew out only slightly before he pressed back into Will a little deeper than before, finally fully seating his length and Will half-moaned and half-groaned into his mouth, breathing shakily and cursing huskily as he slid his hands –his nails- down over Hannibal's back, and with barely a pause to catch his breath, Will was the one to resume their kissing, and with a little more enthusiasm too.

Exhilarated by Will's enthusiasm, Hannibal eased into the familiar motion of thrusting, drawing out again smoothly and sliding his cock back into Will quickly with a deft snap of his hips, continuing to kiss Will as eagerly as the brunette kissed him, tasting and breathing in and swallowing Will's every kiss and exhale and muffled noise. And when he felt Will's blunt fingernails raking new lines down his back, Hannibal slid his hand into Will's hair and cradled the side of his head, building up a steady rhythm as he carefully but not too precisely fucked into Will again and again.

_And there were no words he could think of to describe the intense emotional high he was experiencing with the physical sensations of finally having sex with Will, his longest standing faded fantasy, now a reality. Hannibal's mind palace was elaborately expanding as he lost himself in the younger man's body, Will's taste and feel and scent and sound and touch; rich colors bloomed like blood on cloth in the darkest corners of Hannibal's mind, beautiful structures of bone and teeth, stone and glass arched and curved anew. There were lines of graphite and thick black dripping ink and paint etching and marking and staining images and memories of Will's body and face like paintings and sketches on the high reaching wall and ceilings, on canvas, paper…and on skin even, a whole room the color and texture of Will's skin, the walls tenderly and lovingly stroked by blackened fingertips in reverence and awe…and in the halls of his mind palace, the sound of Will's moans echoed beautifully and endlessly…everything pulsing and pulling and warm and alive…_

…Hannibal was lightheaded, his body heated and possessively covering Will's as they moved together and he was whispering in Lithuanian against Will's hot, damp skin, all the ways in which he'd love and kill and fuck and devastate Will, all the while thrusting steadily to the sounds of Will's pleasured moans filling the quiet room. He was rolling and snapping his hips almost effortlessly into Will's loosening hole as his pace increased, kissing the younger man's mouth and cheek and jaw and chin and neck, tangling his fingers in damp chocolate curls. And he had to choose his moments to catch his breath in between it all, particularly whenever Will let out a throaty moan, or a shaken groan or a hissed breathy curse, or when he pressed his head back or to the side into the pillow and made pitchy unintelligible noises of pleasure or pain…every unique sound Will made depended in pitch and depth and steadiness on how deep or how slow or quickly Hannibal thrust into him each time.

It was like playing the most divine instrument in the world…and Hannibal was its only musician.

Will's noises were especially lovely when Hannibal angled his hips upward on every other thrust, a mixture of a sob and a moan catching in the younger man's throat, but he tried not to overdo it because Will was so sweetly sensitive to prostate stimulation. Hannibal wanted to ease him into it, but it was impossible to completely avoid his cock nudging over the bundle of nerves inside the younger man as he moved. Will made no complaints so far though, he just lay there, occasionally writhing, supine and vulnerable and willingly taking Hannibal's cock as he vocalized his pleasure and pain, uninhibited by decorum or shyness.

Hannibal let his own noises and grunts of pleasure slip occasionally, unable to help it as his balls grew tight and full and his cock ached and throbbed inside Will. He still wanted more though, to touch and be as deep as possible, and so he lowered one of his hands from where it was in Will's hair and caressed it downward over Will's neck and shoulder and chest, his pert nipple, his damp smooth side and narrow hip and all the way until he was gripping Will's thigh so he could hitch the brunette's leg onto his waist.

And they paused in kissing and moving then, Will tilting his head back and groaning after Hannibal snapped his hips roughly inward, burying himself in Will's ass balls deep and holding himself there for a moment as he breathed deeply and unevenly, his blood singing through his veins, all pleasure and heat and want.

Will, for his part, made a low keening humming sound as he breathed just as deeply and loudly, trembling and sweating, his eyes opening and closing and his gaze briefly focusing on Hannibal's face as his erection twitched sticky and trapped between them.

And for a few long seconds it was just a lot of mingled breathing, body heat and shaking limbs before Hannibal felt he'd collected himself enough to continue without coming too soon. He readjusted his weight then, both of his forearms bracketing Will's head and his knees digging into the mattress for leverage as he drew back out, a little more than before and then thrust in a little faster and little harder, angled upward…and Will reacted quite stunningly. That time his moan sounded like one hundred percent pleasure, Hannibal feeling the hard line of Will's cock as it strained between them in reaction. And he also reveled in the feeling of Will's other leg drawing up to settle on his waist as he drew out and thrust in again the same way, he was encouraged and pleased by the feeling of Will's hands moving from his back to his shoulders and then into his hair, where Will gripped and pulled him into an open mouth, jaw clicking kiss.

And from there that's all that filled the quiet space, just one another.

Will was absolutely into it by that point, and the sex was more intense than anything Hannibal had experienced before, primarily because of the emotions and the reality of all that it meant for him, all that Will meant to him, all that it could be and already was, all that they were to one another. And it was so quiet in the room, the house and snowy expanse of land outside, but between them the moment was alive with their loud breathing, the sounds of their fervent wet kissing, their varied moans and throaty noises, the staccato smacking of their skin in between the slick squelches of Hannibal's smooth, gliding thrusts. The moment was close and stifling and wonderful, and Hannibal was relentless as he rocked into Will fast and hard, the bed lightly creaking beneath them, the duvet shifting and twisting and sticking to their sweaty skin, and Will occasionally arched his hips seeking more, his expression set in an overwhelmed vulnerable frown that Hannibal now knew revealed the younger man's pleasure.

They didn't speak and didn't stop, Hannibal only slowed down occasionally in order to offset his build up to orgasm, before he'd speed up again and go deeper or shallower or harder, all the while kissing Will as the younger man moaned and cursed and arched for him. And all Hannibal could smell and sense and focus on was Will, his mouth, his taste, his arousal, his sex, his hair, his sweat, his heat, his breath, his skin, his bodily fluids, his vulnerability, and it was heady and perfect and worth every second of every day that he'd waited to experience it.

However long passed as he fucked Will, Hannibal was uncertain, too lost in burying his cock into Will's pliant, loosened hole over and over and ravishing his delicious panting mouth until his lips were sorely swollen…but when Hannibal felt the ache of pleasurable tension in his balls he quickly realized he would be at the end of his tether soon and he broke off from their latest kiss, and choosing not to leave it up to Will to bring himself off, Hannibal took the matter into his own hand, literally.

He slowed his thrusts so he could shift above Will, just enough to adjust his balance mostly onto his knees and feet and his one forearm as he reached his free hand between them and slipped it around Will's sticky, neglected cock. Will's legs slipped off his waist and fell wide, adjusting with Hannibal and the weight shift enabled Hannibal to change the angle of his thrusts, deciding he'd given Will enough time to get used to it, he started to fuck into Will with direct, hard thrusts, every single one angled upward as he stroked Will's cock almost in time with that.

Will's responding moans were shorter, harsher, pleasure choked noises and Hannibal looked down into his flushed, sexed up face just when Will looked up at him, breath hitching in time with Hannibal's inward thrusts and upward strokes, the tendons in the stretch of his neck standing as his voice got lost, his coherence as well as Hannibal fucked him into ecstasy. And as Will's rectum clenched up from the onslaught of sensation, his eyes slid closed and his fingers dug into Hannibal's shoulders, Will breathed out,

" _OhGodHannibal_..."

It was not said softly or sweetly either, it was a raspy and sexy sound and Will followed it up by pulling Hannibal down and pressing their mouths together in an intense sucking lip lock. And that broke Hannibal's restraint, making him press a follow up kiss so firmly to Will's lips that the younger man's head was forced back into the pillow at the same time as Hannibal started to fuck him faster and very much on the side of rough.

He thrust more intently, out and in and _upward_ in quick harsh snaps, slapping their skin together louder and sharper and the sound blended beautifully with the startled pleasured sob-like sounds that Will made as Hannibal pistoned into his slick, yielding rectum with almost precise stimulation to his prostate. And Will's cock was straining in his hand, leaking precome that made masturbating the younger man easy and smooth and sticky.

He fucked Will thoroughly that way as they kissed and Will's body became tenser and twitchier and it wasn't long before the younger man separated from the kiss and moaned brokenly, coming between them copiously, all over Hannibal's knuckles, on his chest and Will's own stomach, the younger man's rectum clenching up and spasming around Hannibal's cock, hot and velvety and slick but so tight that Hannibal had trouble keeping his pace.

He made the effort though, he kept fucking Will through the younger man's orgasm, kept fucking as Will cursed and quivered with pleasure, Hannibal holding himself back from orgasm only just, and only when he heard Will make a noise that was almost more pain than pleasure –a tell of overstimulation-, did he let himself lose it, thrusting his cock once more into Will, pressing in deep and holding himself there in the sucking blissful tightness. And as he came inside Will –a fantasy made real-, Hannibal didn't bite back the low, throaty moan that slipped out of his mouth, but he immediately pressed his face into the side of Will's neck to muffle it as he tangled his hand at the side of Will's head into his damp, smooth curls and just let the pleasure take him.

For the first time ever, Hannibal allowed an orgasm to truly blank out his thoughts, his presence of mind, and for several long seconds it was just white noise and Will's scent in his nose, damp skin and a racing pulse point beneath his open mouth, warm, tacky come sliding between his fingers, their hot sweat slicked bodies pressed together and Will's ass constricting around his ejaculating cock, milking Hannibal with every overstimulated spasm…

…it was glorious, it was intoxicating, it was addicting…and it was more than just sex, it was more than making love even. It felt like completion…like finding light in the previously endless dark.

And with an unprecedented realization, Hannibal found that he actually felt _afraid_ …afraid of losing something or someone. Of losing Will. Will meant _everything_ to him. Will Graham who'd made him change, had made him a fool _._

Hannibal had never been so blindsided by anyone in his life…nor had he ever felt so whole.

They lay together for a long while, Hannibal trying to get the unusual burst and crush of emotion he was feeling under control along with his harsh, uneven breathing. And after several minutes spent with his face pressed to the side of Will's neck and the younger man's resounding silence and quiet breathing, he begun to wonder if Will had fallen asleep…

Will was completely still beneath him, the younger man's pulse had slowed down and his chest and stomach rose and fell steadily with each regulated breath he took, also, his hands and legs had fallen away from Hannibal's back and waist. Thinking that Will was almost certainly asleep, Hannibal raised his head to check, but he found that the brunette was very much awake, lying with his neck bared accommodatingly for Hannibal…as he stared off at the other side of the room with half lidded eyes and no readable expression on his face.

Hannibal couldn't help feeling worried at Will's almost despondent appearance, and when he shifted his hips back and slipped his cock from inside Will's body, he internally cringed when Will grimaced and tensed up, his body shaking briefly…almost like a shudder. Hannibal felt instantly nauseous when he saw that reaction, because what else could he assume of it other than that Will was regretting what they'd just done?

He pushed himself up and away from Will then, seeing as how the younger man was deliberately not acknowledging him, and when he was once again sitting back on his legs between Will's, Hannibal watched as Will grimaced again and then clenched his eyes shut as a trickle of come leaked out of his hole.

Hannibal did nothing, didn't move or speak or breath as the brunette shifted abruptly, leaning up on his elbows before moving backwards, just far enough away from Hannibal so that he could sit up and hunch in on himself as he rubbed his hands over his face roughly. And Will visibly winced at whatever pain he felt, and then he made a quiet noise of displeasure when gravity did its worst in aiding Hannibal's semen to leave his body…

Hannibal tracked his eyes over the younger man, noting that he was shaking lightly as if he were anxious, his face was twitching through whatever he was feeling emotionally and physically right then and he kept his eyes down on the rumpled sweat and bodily fluid soiled bedding between them as he breathed tensely through his nose.

And Hannibal, at a loss, just swallowed sorely around the returned lump in his throat, recognizing shame and discomfort and worst of all, traces of what seemed like disgust, on Will's face. It was almost unbearable to witness right then, in the aftermath of his own single most intense and life changing sexual experience…and the fact that he was getting _angry_ was just a very bad thing for both of them. Realizing that, Hannibal chose to remove himself from the immediate situation.

Hannibal took a quiet breath and then he shifted, moving to the foot edge of the bed. He got off and stood on his –pathetically- weak feeling legs and walked slowly over to his wardrobe, where he grabbed his robe before he walked to his chest of drawers and retrieved a pair of pajama pants. He didn't know if Will was watching him move around, but he knew the younger man was still shaking, looking pale and uncomfortable and for all the world as if Hannibal had just _violated_ him.

Feeling more nausea settle after a violent turn in his stomach, Hannibal quickly and without looking at Will, walked to the door and he paused there, keeping his emotionally strained voice low as he spoke,

"You may sleep here tonight, I will be in your bedroom…" he wouldn't say ' _if you need me_ ' because something told him that would definitely not be the case.

He walked out of the bedroom then, closing the door behind himself before he walked down the hall a little ways to Will's bedroom, and stopping just inside the room after he'd closed himself in, Hannibal took a moment to center himself. He inhaled a deep breath and closed his eyes, shutting every external feeling and sound out and it took about a minute for him, longer than usual, where he breathed deeply and disappeared into the complex space of his mind, recomposing himself, tidying up, reorganizing and cleaning and filling in the new fractures in his mind so they were no longer points of vulnerability, he walked the halls as well, closing a few doors that should never have been opened…

…and when he reopened his auburn eyes, his countenance now calm and detached, Hannibal had completed doing as he'd long ago mastered the ability to; he'd shut every thought and memory and feeling of what had just transpired between himself and Will behind a seamless door in his mind palace, and had restored pristine order to his mental sanctuary.

It was something he'd done countless times before in his life, and while sometimes things did slip through subconsciously –ie: vulnerable feelings about Will Graham-, for the most part it worked. Presently, he felt calmer and quite like he had a few hours earlier, before dinner and the dance and…the rest of the evening.

And come morning, he would salvage what he could of their former relationship, he would do damage control…or perhaps he wouldn't. Perhaps he needed to just leave Will be for a while, perhaps he himself just needed to be left to be for a while. Perhaps it'd be a little harder to keep what had happened between them and its accompanying feelings at bay…

Nevertheless, Hannibal would make his best effort to keep his head clear when he faced Will the next day.

But right then he wanted to shower, and then he'd get some sleep.

And that's exactly what he did.

* * *

The next morning was cold and it was snowing lightly outside, but despite that, Hannibal had no choice but to wear only his robe and pajama pants when he got out of bed –Will's bed- to begin his day. A glance at the ugly digital clock sitting on Will's nightstand told him that it was just after seven AM, and the only thing Hannibal wanted right then was a cup of coffee and a good breakfast.

Deciding that, after he'd spent a few minutes in Will's en-suite urinating and then freshening up, he made Will's bed, tied his robe off and then left the bedroom. As he walked down the hall, he was unsurprised to find his own bedroom door still closed, because he'd expected that Will would still be asleep, and if not asleep, then just holed up in there to avoid seeing Hannibal that morning.

Either way, Hannibal had made the –cowardly- decision the night before to just leave Will and the subject alone, just as he had all the times before, and honestly, he wouldn't be surprised if they never spoke of it again, probably would just go back to being monogamous and asexual in the end, as if the sex had never happened. The idea made his gut clench with hurt and temper flare with irritation, but he knew without even having to think about it that he would accept it, so long as it meant keeping Will.

As he walked barefoot through the living room, Hannibal made a second decision, one that included a personal and discreet killing spree of sorts, and quite soon. He was in the mood for a bit more carnage than usual, after all, they didn't need fresh meat at the moment, so some good old fashion brutal mutilation would help him feel better, help him vent.

Because he was very, very tightly wound after the way the previous evening had gone...

Honestly, Hannibal truly felt like he'd have been better off just _not_ ever having sex with Will.

Pausing outside the kitchen, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, finding himself annoyed that that door he'd shut in his mind palace was not quite as seamless as he'd hoped, so he took a moment to get himself back in order before he walked into the kitchen….

…and when he stepped in, he immediately noticed that fresh coffee was already prepared, the scent of it only just beginning to leave the kitchen area, so fresh in fact that it had probably just finished brewing.

"Morning, Hannibal." Will's voice, quiet but neutral, made Hannibal tense up minutely as he turned his attention away from the coffee/espresso machine on the far counter to the younger man, where he was just stepping out of the kitchen pantry, having retrieved a sealed box of those awful store bought chocolate and cream cookies that he liked to eat. Hannibal made careful effort to keep his own expression completely neutral as he met Will's gaze head on, and it irked him that Will appeared so _unaffected_. Hannibal recalled thinking the evening before that _this time_ it would not be so easy for him to get over the problem…and he was right.

Perhaps it was just too personal now for him to brush aside.

"Will." he greeted shortly, voice tense, and for the moment he decided it might be best for him to retrieve coffee and then leave the room, to put distance between himself and Will until he was ready to deal with the fallout. And yes, he knew it was pitiful that he was the one choosing to avoid Will, but he just wasn't ready to face even more emotional hurt after what had happened the night before.

Outwardly composed, Hannibal severed their eye contact and walked across the kitchen to the coffee machine, reaching into the cupboard just above it for one of his preferred mugs. He took one mug down and set it on the counter lightly before reaching for the coffee pot. And it was at that point that Will unexpectedly spoke,

"About last night…" and the younger man's casual tone had Hannibal tensing again and he blinked a few times down at the stream of dark liquid he was pouring into his cup, only just catching himself from his bafflement in time to stop himself from over pouring.

The last thing he'd been expecting was for Will to just bring it up, not so soon anyway, after all, he'd never done so in the past when it came to discussing the non-platonic dynamics of their relationship. Hannibal took in a quiet breath, doing some quick mental prep, and he made sure his face was perfectly neutral when he turned around to look at Will,

"Hm?" was all he managed though, because Will was standing closer than he'd expected, just a few feet away and Hannibal had absolutely no idea where this conversation was going to go or how he'd manage it so unprepared.

Will gave him a strange look, something like an uncertain frown, from where he stood leaning against the island counter, but the look passed and Hannibal watched as the brunette set the box of cookies down on the counter and walked over to stand even nearer, stopping at his usual one foot away distance. Hannibal was able to smell Will then, and he recognized his own personal bathing products scenting Will's skin and hair…and then when he tracked his eyes over the length of the younger man, Hannibal realized that Will was wearing **his** clothes, a pajama pants and a long sleeve sleep shirt that were only just too big on Will's frame, but otherwise the sandstone color shirt and dark gray pants fit his lean, slighter build quite comfortably.

And just the fact that he'd been comfortable enough to not only shower in Hannibal's bathroom but then to dress himself in Hannibal's clothes, that was definitely significant…Hannibal just wasn't sure how so when it came to Will. And while he would have found it presumptuous and rude if anyone else had done it, with Will, it caused a well of affection and possessiveness to fill Hannibal, feelings that he found himself wanting to hold on to.

Because he wanted Will as close as possible, in his home and bed…in their home…in a shared bed…shared everything, their lives completely blended, completely blurred together.

"I wanted to say sorry…and thank you." Will spoke again, rubbing a hand over the side of his face as he looked Hannibal in the eye, and Hannibal simply raised an eyebrow in response, lest he open his mouth and say something stupid or cutting, because Will tended to leave him in a position of feeling stupid, and an entire range of other new feelings he'd never experienced before, and that made him quite irritable. Will just sighed when he didn't say anything and then the younger man shook his head and went on, "Sorry that I ruined the…uh…afterglow, or you know, whatever you want to call it," the brunette pursed his lips, "I just kind of…freaked out a little there, uh…at the end." he shrugged lightly, raising his eyebrows and all Hannibal could do was blink at him in growing confusion and astonishment.

When Will continued to look at him expectantly, Hannibal considered saying something, but his tongue stuck stubbornly to the roof of his mouth, because he was still expecting the worst and didn't want to speak just yet.

He couldn't help it though, that when the younger man swiped his tongue absently over his bottom lip, his gaze lingered on Will's mouth, his attention only snapping back when Will spoke again, his tone much warmer and unexpectedly intimate,

"And thank you for…giving me space last night," he smiled softly now, and Hannibal held his breath when the brunette stepped closer, so that he was standing right in front of Hannibal, just a few inches of space between them, "I needed some time to clear my head, and I'm really glad that you know me so well…I'm grateful, Hannibal, that you knew I needed that time and that you let me have it." Will exhaled softly and despite his boldness and the sincerity of every word, he was looking at Hannibal with open vulnerability.

And Hannibal was **floored** , but only on the inside. He did not for a second allow how stunned and hopeful and relieved and confused he was to show on the outside. He absorbed every word said and every word's implication with a masterfully apathetic expression on his face. And it was apparent to him now, that Will hadn't seen his leaving him alone the night before as retreating or cowardice or regret or moodiness, not as Hannibal had seen Will's own behavior in the aftermath. Instead, Will believed that Hannibal had left to _give him space while he freaked out_. And that excuse was actually quite perfect.

So Hannibal decided to go with it while not outright admitting that that had been his reason for leaving, after all, the best lies were laced with truths and a little bit of obscurity.

On that note he stepped around the immediate gratefulness Will was expressing, not confirming nor denying anything, and he instead attempted to find out what he really wanted to know,

"I was concerned that this morning you would find yourself regretting what happened last night?" and it was a question, even if he said it quietly and evenly as though he were stating it, as though he was only distantly concerned about it, when in fact he was getting more anxious by the second to know whether Will wanted to be with him again…

…whether Will wanted to be with him that way for the rest of their lives together, because Hannibal could no longer see them apart, and he had no clear idea of exactly when he'd become dependent on Will, but it was _real._

Will's response to that question was beyond encouraging though and when the younger man smiled so absolutely genuinely at him, Hannibal felt his chest become tight with more of those damnablely uncontrollable emotions. And he watched as the younger man blushed slightly, Will raising his eyebrows and shaking his head as he rubbed a hand over the side of his neck,

"No, Hannibal, I have no regrets…" he said honestly, his voice wavy in that way it kind of always was when Will was being himself and being honest right from his very core, "…I mean, we should talk about it, like…about certain things…" he laughed awkwardly and frowned a bit, "…but otherwise, I…uh, really, I enjoyed it, and I want us to do it…to do it again." he cleared his throat, dropping his gaze briefly before looking at Hannibal again and smiling softly, "We'll add that kind of intimacy to our relationship on a regular basis, as any other couple would." he added quietly, tracking his eyes fondly over Hannibal's face.

Hannibal had heard the words ' _no regrets_ ' and ' _enjoyed it_ ' and ' _do it again_ ' and ' _couple_ ' and ' _regular basis_ ', and those words sounded far better to him than the finest operetta's he'd ever listened to, and what they meant sent his blood singing in his veins. And so it took him a moment to realize that Will was expecting a response and he only became aware of it when Will frowned and cleared his throat again, his smile falling away,

"That is, uh, if _you_ still want that with me…after last night." his relaxed demeanor faltered as he averted his gaze, "I'd understand if you didn't-…"

Hannibal cut him off by bringing his hands up and cupping Will's face, looking at the younger man as reverently as he felt for him as he stroked his thumbs along Will's jawline and leaned in, but he stopped short of kissing Will, thinking it was possibly still best to ask,

"May I?"

Will eyes had been near to closing, but they opened again at his question and Will responded by bringing one of his hands up, and he placed it at the side of Hannibal's neck as he leaned forward and closed the distance between them, pressing their lips together.

And Hannibal couldn't help noticing that again…like so long ago, Will's lips were warm but his nose…his nose was sweetly cold. He was quite certain that his brain momentarily short circuited at the overwhelming swell of affection that he felt in that moment, and it was an embarrassing feeling, but was wonderful at the same time.

The lip to lip kiss was light and pleasant and soft and Will smiled when they drew apart, their mouths remaining an inch apart. Will kept his eyes closed while Hannibal immediately opened his, not wanting to miss any opportunity to look at Will so closely. He was once again trying to reorganize his racing mind, since the door with the memory of the previous night's experience was now wide open, and everything about the night before and the present moment suddenly felt vibrant and precious, because Will wanted to be with him, completely, and that emptiness that had been briefly filled by being with Will would never again return.

He smiled against Will's mouth, feeling deeply pleased, and they kissed again, just lightly, just touches of their lips more than once, but each kiss occurred between little smiles, Will's huffs of sentimental laughter and Hannibal's nuzzles and nudges and brushing lips. He wanted to kiss Will endlessly, but he knew that he still needed to go slow.

"So is that a yes?" Will mumbled, leaning his weight forward just enough that their fronts were almost touching as he placed his hands on the counter either side of Hannibal's waist.

"Do you even need to ask?" Hannibal asked, lightly caressing Will's face, and his tone was so laden with emotion he might have been discomfited that the younger man could hear it if it hadn't made Will smile at him again in a way that lit up his whole face, and he actually looked _relieved_ , just as Hannibal was.

"I feel like I should…" Will raised his eyebrows, leaning back a bit so they could talk without their lips touching, Will becoming a bit more serious "…after all, I'm going to be asking you to negotiate the, uh, logistics of sex for a while," he sighed, wetting the inner seam of his lips and looking _worried_ , as if Hannibal might have a problem with a little compromise between them in bed, "until I, you know, until I figure out what I'm okay with and, uh, until I get used to certain things," he tracked his eyes over Hannibal's face with a light frown, "and I want to know if you're willing to be patient?"

Hannibal nearly pointed out that he'd already been waiting _years_ for Will, but instead of _saying something stupid_ , he settled for a simple reassurance,

"The logistics of sex should always be open to negotiation and discussion," he said with a small smile of his own, "it is the healthy approach as it is rare that two people can be immediately sexually compatible. We have to learn one another's likes and dislikes, preferences…" his voice lowered unconsciously to a register that was expressing his immense interest in learning Will intimately, "…erogenous zones, the best places to kiss to make you weak at the knees," he lowered his eyes to Will's mouth, "the best places to touch in order to make you elicit different sounds of pleasure…your limitations and kinks…" he trailed off then when he looked up into Will's eyes and saw how red the younger man's face had gone and how tensely he swallowed.

Hannibal's words were a bit much apparently, but then, Will had always been overly affected by his words even before they'd slept together, so he'd have to add that to his lists of don'ts, or perhaps he'd just make a second list of things to do in careful moderation. Kissing would be on that list too he guessed.

Yes, it would require great patience on his part to make it through the introductory faze of his and Will's new sexual relationship, but the reward of having Will in _every way_ in the end would be worth it.

He eased off, removing his hands from Will's face and hesitantly –lightly- settling them on his waist instead,

"In short, yes, I am more than open to negotiation, dear Will," he reassured in a less heated tone and Will relaxed slightly, "in fact, I think you'll find me as accommodating as you need me to be, at any time." and that was a big promise to make, but Hannibal would do it, he was a man of control and a man of his word.

Will raised a skeptical eyebrow then, and lowered his voice, asking almost awkwardly,

"So, if I say that I'd prefer if we used condoms in future…to avoid the, uh…" he scrunched up his nose, "…for my sake, _afterward_ , you, uh, you'd be fine with that?" and he looked Hannibal in the eyes, curious.

Hannibal didn't let it show on his face, but he did feel a great deal of disappointment at that particular issue, mostly because it would be a step backwards. But he was certain that such a tedious thing as condoms would eventually even get on Will's nerves when they one day progressed to having a consistently active sex life, and that Will would choose again to stop using condoms in the future without prompting.

He just needed time.

"I would, if it is what you'd need to feel better when we're having sex." he said candidly, and saying it so plainly seemed to affect Will as much as it affected him, because they would be _having sex_ again and they were both acknowledging it, accepting it…and Hannibal was anticipating it.

He was beyond pleased with the outcome of their night spent together now that he knew how Will felt, and as soon as his feelings and mind stopped racing, he intended to sit down and organize the wonderful chaos that Will had brought into his mental sanctuary. But for right then, he thought that making breakfast would be a good way to distract himself from wanting to kiss Will breathless.

He didn't doubt that in the future Will would become more comfortable and there would be plenty of morning make out sessions, all Hannibal had to do was be patient. As it was, everything that had happened in the last twenty four hours was more than he'd even been hoping for, had even considered possible, so he would not be ungrateful for what Will was giving him.

He turned his thoughts to what to make for breakfast then, and he and Will separated when he pushed himself away from the counter, Will saying that he was going to go and fetch a sweater because he was cold as he turned and headed toward the doorway. Hannibal nodded and then watched him walk away, gaze trailing from his bare feet upward, over lean legs to the younger man's shapely posterior…but he quickly raised his eyes to appropriate eye level when Will stopped walking and stood in the doorway of the kitchen, and when Will turned around to look at him, the brunette was half smiling but he seemed uncertain.

"Will?" Hannibal prompted as he placed his hands in the pockets of his robe.

Will raised his eyebrows, absently sliding one of his hands down the frame of the door as he spoke,

"And what if I said," he began, and Hannibal realized Will had another negotiation he wanted to make, "that I'd like us to start sharing a room, uh…a…a bed, regularly, like every night…we should sleep in the same bed?" he asked, but was also suggesting if his tone was anything to go by.

And Hannibal couldn't even help the smile that stretched across his face right then, nor the surge of emotion he felt at Will wanting to sleep beside him,

"I would ask which side you'd prefer to sleep on." he quipped, raising an eyebrow at Will.

And Will's resulting grin, the soft, pleased and affectionate sight of it, coupled with the honest look he gave Hannibal that revealed that he was sincerely looking forward to the closeness that sharing a bed promised,

reminded Hannibal of exactly why Will was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and also reminded him of exactly why he would do anything to keep Will Graham, and anything to make him happy.

**Anything**


	3. Fanfic Art Gif

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was done for this story by a friend of mine, who tends to indulge me -and indebt me- because I cannot draw in any way at all.  
> Thank you, I owe you :)
> 
> The post by [Lyson](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyson/pseuds/Lyson)  
> can be viewed [here](http://liesinpain.tumblr.com/)  
> 


	4. I've never loved another...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This story was inspired by a Damien Rice song (yet another one) and I would seriously suggest listening to the song, it really sets the atmosphere.  
> \- I've written more, but it's not Will's POV, sorry ):  
> \- Not beta read, apologies for any mistakes.

* * *

* * *

It was a late Sunday afternoon, and Hannibal walked with a steady and slow gait beside Will as they made their way through the snow laden path together, each crunching step sinking his and Will's winter boots more than a centimeter into the buildup of snow that had gathered over the landscape surrounding their house overnight.

They were walking along the path that Will favored, the one that the younger man often went off on for an hour at a time. And while it was not the first time Hannibal was joining the brunette, having accompanied Will several times in the years past, it was however, the first time in a while that they were able to, since due to the recent and frequent snowfall of winter, they hadn't taken a chance braving the downward trek.

But now it was easing into spring and the first thing that Will had suggested that morning during breakfast, as traces of orange juice had been damp on his smiling lips, was that they take a walk together later that day. And Hannibal had said 'yes' with a small smile of his own, because even though he hadn't wanted to go walking in the snow – that was really more Will's thing-, he hadn't been about to decline when Will asked so nicely, or really, when Will asked anything of him at all.

It was ridiculous, but Hannibal felt little in the way of shame anymore for indulging in his weakness for Will.

They were both quite used to the cold and the snow at least, having lived in the weather conditions of winters on the east coast of the USA for so long, so while they were dressed warm, they weren't bundled up unreasonably.

They each wore over and under shirts, a thick sweater each beneath a coat for Hannibal and jacket for Will, as well as each wearing jeans, scarves, leather gloves and warm thick soled boots. Hannibal dressed in sandstone, dark chocolate brown colors and solid blacks, and Will in forest green and solid blacks with a contrasting stone gray scarf, which was wrapped warmly around his neck, whereas Hannibal's scarf hung loose, draped over his shoulders and hanging down over the lapels of his long, warm coat.

There was a faint but chilly wind that was constantly filtering over and around them, but the sun was visible and high in the partly cloudy blue sky, and it left pleasant warmth on Hannibal's skin everywhere that it touched his face, except for the tip of his nose and outer shell of his ears. And the same went for Will, a sight Hannibal so enjoyed seeing on the younger man; the familiar red hue coloring Will's nose and ears, the corners of his lips and soft skin around his eyes…the crisp cold touching all the soft and sensual places on Will's handsome face that Hannibal was so temped to press kisses to.

And he could mind you…he could do that now, and Will would let him…probably.

Kissing was something Will didn't seem to shy away from, so long as it happened in doses that the younger man could measure and control, i.e: mostly quick and light, which, by Hannibal's preferences, was far too little, but still better than nothing at all.

There'd been nothing else though, since the night they'd slept together, nothing more than the occasional lingering, but most often, brief kiss. The former occurring whenever Hannibal stole a kiss at opportune moments; during stimulating conversation or shared activities such as cooking or butchering, and the latter at conventionally scripted times; a morning greeting, before they left for work in the city or to express gratitude. But aside from that, nothing more had yet to take place between them, and Will made no move to go there again. Honestly, as far as Hannibal could tell –not that he could really when it came to Will-, if the younger man was thinking about anything sexual happening again, Hannibal was given no indication of it.

It had been eight days since they'd had sex for the first time, and while they'd slept in the same bed, Hannibal's bed, every night for the week past, after no more than a congenial goodnight, almost chaste, – and somewhat hesitant on Will's part- lip to lip kiss, they'd separate and sleep on their respective sides of the large bed.

And it made sense to Hannibal that since both of them were unused to sharing a bed with another person, the fact that neither of them sought one another out in their unconsciousness or gravitated closer to one another for a source of warmth or comfort, was to be expected. Ultimately, the house had central heating which meant the temperature was always regulated and neither had a tendency to cuddle, so they fell asleep a part and woke up a part, Hannibal always first and Will some time later.

It wasn't an uncomfortable arrangement though, and if Hannibal was to be honest with himself about it, which he always would be, waking up to the sight of Will asleep beside him every morning was pleasing and gratifying and endearing in more ways than he'd thought himself capable of feeling for another human being.

And it wasn't that Will slept like some perfect picturesque fairytale princess either, because he didn't. In fact he slept rather plainly; flat on his back or half curled up on his side, his face slack, lips sometimes parted to deeper less even breaths if he was mildly congested, his arched nostrils often flaring subtly, or otherwise his mouth would be softly closed, his chest rising and falling evenly. Sometimes his eyelids moved and sometimes not, the same for his fingers and limbs, sleepily twitching and shifting.

Will also made the expected quiet deep sleep grunts and snorts that most made, and his throat would click when he swallowed once or twice whenever his mouth and throat became too dry. His hair was always a mess for the most part, and in sleep it was much messier, and that much more lovely at its crooked angles, soft ringlets falling over or tangling to stick up with every shift of his head against his pillow.

Yes, he was truly lovely when he slept, simply because, aside from his undeniably attractive aesthetics, Will was also so absolutely human in those moments…a fact of nature, of normalcy and humanism that Hannibal knew he lacked. For one thing, he was unable to sleep as Will did, so deeply and with trust, completely dead to the world, especially now, without nightmares to plague him, Will slept soundly. Whereas Hannibal on the other hand was always on the edge of consciousness, even when he'd slept alone in the past. There was hardly ever a movement or sound he made when he slept that he was not aware of on some level, and certainly never a movement or sound outside of his sleep that he didn't notice immediately.

Oftentimes…or all of the time really, even his wakeful grogginess was feigned.

But not Will…no, Will's sleepy countenance when he'd walk into the kitchen in the mornings was genuine, still rubbing sleep from his lightly puffy eyes, snuffling or taking deep wakeful breaths as he poured himself coffee that Hannibal always had pre-prepared for him. And then he'd stand, leaning against the nearest surface as he sipped his coffee in between habitually running a hand through his hair and over his face or neck, wearing a wrinkled sleep shirt and sleeping pants, sometimes with a loosely tied robe over it and his pale, slender feet often bare on the heated floors tiles.

And in the time they'd been together in Sweden, Hannibal had stood aside in the kitchen watching Will go through the process many times, the younger man all sweetly loose limbed and not entirely coordinated. Hannibal would always return Will's mumbled good morning greeting and then he'd just _watch_ as Will would retrieve a too big coffee mug from the cupboard, Will making sure his grip on the handle of the coffee pot was secure before he'd pour himself a mugful with squinted eyes, and his beard would rasp softly as he rubbed at his face, his breathing would be deep and slow, his toes would curl on the smooth tile…and he was always perfect like that.

The only thing that had changed in Hannibal enjoying the morning routine since they'd had sex, was that in the past week, he'd stand by imagining a time in the future where Will would be amenable to wearing nothing beneath his robe, and eventually amenable too, to Hannibal going over to him and loosening the knot…sliding his hands beneath the soft cotton covering, to touch him in intimate places and decidedly sexual ways.

Getting there though, to the point where he could do that, wouldn't happen anytime soon. Even though Hannibal saw many opportunities to initiate kissing and touching, that would under normal circumstances between a couple, lead to sex, he never did and he wouldn't, having decided already that Will would have to come to him.

Will would have to be the one in control of that particular activity happening between them again. At least until Will reached a point where he felt like he was willing to share that control with Hannibal comfortably, was willing to take his place as an equal in sex between them as he was in everything el-

"I miss my dogs." Will's steady and quiet voice interrupted his thoughts.

Hannibal blinked, turning away from staring absently ahead down the wide path lined with an expansive copse of tall trees to look at Will, who had stopped a few steps behind him, the denser white vapor created by his words dissipating into nothingness, followed by smaller tufts as he breathed evenly.

Hannibal surmised that the brunette had only stopped just a moment ago when he noticed that Will was holding a stick that was double the length of his gloved hands and had snow clinging to its bark. The younger man was idly fiddling with it, his eyes focused on the stick as he brushed the clinging snow off the bark.

Hannibal breathed out his own small clouds of steam as he raked his eyes over the length of Will, taking note that there were no signs of tension or upset in his posture, before he looked at Will's face again.

"I imagine so." he responded in what he perceived was a neutral enough tone and choice of words, not really sure he wanted to encourage Will to talk about his former pets. After all, the last time Will had said the words 'I miss my dogs' to him, it had been a precursor to the painful rejection that followed, and then a few hours later Hannibal had turned himself into the authorities because he'd found that he hadn't been able to let Will go.

There was no good memory of that moment for him, only a small burst of violent anger that flared up in the tight spaces between his thoughts of forgiveness, sacrifice, love and Will.

Hannibal didn't attempt to navigate through or around the silence that ensued, instead he just waited, looking placidly at Will as the younger man raised his eyes from staring at the stick to look at him, to make eye contact, which was something he'd been doing a little more of here and there in the week that had past, meeting Hannibal's eyes more frequently with some of his former confidence.

It was a welcomed thing…even if right then Hannibal wasn't sure what to make of Will's steady regard.

It lasted a few long seconds before Will severed their eye contact, drew his arm back with the stick in hand and then he threw his arm forward and the stick went careening through the air ahead of them and a good distance down the path. Hannibal watched it in the air, but then he slid his eyes fluidly back to see Will's shoulders sag slightly as he sighed out vapor, staring ahead with pursed lips as he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets.

Will started walking again then, and five steps later when he'd caught up, Hannibal fell into step with him, continuing on down the path. They walked in silence for a minute, the wind tousling Will's curls and flicking Hannibal's fringe across his forehead, and Hannibal couldn't avoid focusing on the present slouch in Will's shoulders and the sigh he'd made with a nostalgic and _resigned_ look on his face a moment earlier.

Hannibal wasn't an idiot, so of course he knew that the mentioning of Will's dogs, while being a bad memory for him, had been brought up for entirely different reasons for Will. It had been Will's way of trying to initiate a discussion…a discussion which Hannibal had no doubt would lead to talk of getting a dog. And while he found the idea of living with a dog to be less than ideal, what was really bothering him more right then was that Will not only didn't just come right out and say what he wanted, as he should have, but rather the fact that Will didn't feel confident and reassured enough in his place in Hannibal's life to just say what he wanted was more the problem.

Hannibal tried not to frown at the upsetting realization that Will apparently still felt beholden to and by him, even after all that time. He didn't think it was fear though, because Will was not afraid of him, he hadn't been since before the fall even. So the only thing Hannibal could think of, was that it was because of the lingering effects of their former dynamic, where Hannibal had always been the one in control and Will had either been allowing it, had been unable to do anything about it or had been trying to play catch up. Things were not that way between them anymore though, not for a long time, or at least he hadn't thought so, but apparently it wasn't a thing of the past for Will.

He'd been trying to give Will more and more control in their relationship, especially in the things that he thought mattered most to the younger man, and he would keep trying until Will caught on. And he had an opportunity now to make an example, seeing as the subject and issue of a dog was one of those things that Will had independent control over. So as much as Hannibal wasn't gung-ho about the idea of having a pet dog, he was not about to take advantage of the power Will gave him to simply say 'no'.

He intended the playing field to be as level as possible, and the only way to do that was to let Will know that everything between them was open for discussion and negotiation.

They'd walked several more meters further down the path, having past the stick Will had thrown before and Hannibal took in a breath of the crisp air around him, blinking once slowly as he considered the best manner in which to broach the subject so that it would prompt Will to speak openly about what he wanted.

Hannibal was distracted from his intent though, when Will stopped walking again and that time Hannibal didn't get ahead of the younger man because Will took a light hold of his wrist through the layers of his sleeves. Hannibal stopped and turned to face Will, suspecting that maybe Will had worked up the confidence to say what was on his mind, and so he prepared himself to be open to the idea of getting a dog, because it would please Will, and that was important.

Hannibal didn't expect what actually happened though, that was; Will stepped closer with audible crunches in the snow until the younger man was standing right there, chest to chest in front of him, tilting his head back to look up just so because of their slight height difference, meeting Hannibal's eyes. He didn't appear angry or even sad anymore, or annoyed or disappointed over Hannibal's brush off of his former statement, but rather, Will was looking at him with clear blue-green eyes and an awkward quirk of a smile on his pale lips.

Hannibal wasn't sure what to make of Will's actions, until Will leaned in, their noses touching coldly a moment before Will's dry lips touched his own only just, lightly puckered and clinging with a soft stick when Will drew back a breath later. It was not a proper kiss, but a suggestion of it…permission given for Hannibal to take the reins if he wanted to…and oh, did he ever.

All it took was the suggestion of Will's kiss to send those all too familiar butterflies rioting in his stomach, and Hannibal didn't waste a moment, tilting his head and leaning in properly so that their noses brushed but didn't hinder him as he covered Will's partially open mouth with his own. He sucked a soft kiss to Will's top lip and then the bottom one, slipping just enough of his tongue between the younger man's lips to graze the edges of his teeth and the tip of the Will's tongue with his own, their exhales warmly clouding the air between their faces.

Hannibal drew back slightly and then inhaled deeply, his nose brushing over Will's cheek as he took in the pleasing scents of Will's hair and skin and breath, now able to clearly define his wonderful fragrance at their close proximity over the fresh forest air. And he appreciated endlessly that instead of pulling away as he usually would have, Will stayed close after the quick kiss, with his mouth parted, his eyes half-lidded and his breaths puffing out softly…awaiting another kiss, perhaps even anticipating it.

Hannibal looked into his face, into his eyes and when Will's lips twitched into a smile and he felt the brunette's gloved hands settle on his flanks through the layers of his clothing, Hannibal swallowed a small lump of elation that swelled in his throat and he brushed their noses and lips together, before tipping his head the other way and leaning in to press a more heated, firmer kiss to Will's lips, the younger man's head tilting back slightly with the vigor of it.

With their mouths sealed together, Hannibal raised his hands and cradled Will's face, holding it at that exact comfortable angle before he parted his lips against Will's. And almost immediately he felt the younger man's mouth open pliantly beneath his own on another soft breath, Will's blue-green eyes sliding closed and his fingers clenching lightly in the material of Hannibal's coat.

Hannibal savored every touch and sound and flavor and feeling as he licked his tongue into Will's mouth to slide against the younger man's, Will responding likewise as their lips eased closed against each other's in a sealing, puckered press and soft smack, before parting again for another. The next kiss was slightly wetter, slightly deeper, and it was followed by another and another, each one as slow and textured and soft and intense as the one that came before it.

Will's mouth slid and sucked and fit so perfectly against his own and Hannibal enjoyed it as much as he could while he had it, expecting Will would draw back soon just as he had been doing all week, as if he were afraid too much kissing would lead to more…more perhaps, than he was ready to do again so soon.

But when a minute passed and Will had not pulled away and they were still kissing, not stopping for the cold wind chilling their ears or the snow crushing and melting in increments under their weight, Hannibal allowed himself to stop awaiting the end, especially since Will was making no show of even wanting to stop. Encouraged, Hannibal shifted one of his arms so that it encircled Will around his middle-back to hold him close, his other leather gloved hand sliding into the hair at the nape of Will's neck, his fingers skimming beneath the scarf. And Will accommodated it, shifting his head so that their mouths remained joined in the new angle as his hands slid up and splayed just beneath Hannibal's shoulder blades, a firm touch.

Encouraged further by Will relaxing into the embrace, Hannibal allowed himself to settle into the pleasurable motion and experience of kissing Will for more than just a brief moment here and there. And as the kiss drew on, more and more of everything Hannibal felt for Will was bleeding into it, conveyed in the sensual slide of his tongue against Will's, in the soft sucking of lips and warm shared breaths, their lips puckered and parted in turns, soft smacks in between the sharing of saliva, a kiss that tasted of wine and whiskey.

It lasted what felt like a sweet, rushed eternity but was really only maybe five minutes, and Hannibal was fully aware that he'd never before become so immersed in a kiss that he failed to be aware of time lapsed around him.

But that was the case with Will, there in his arms…so entirely distracting without even trying to be.

And Hannibal hadn't thought of what may have prompted Will to kiss him there and then, and for so long and so much deeper than he'd been permitting all week, not until he shifted his arm around Will so that he could ease his hand down the curve of Will's spine, a mostly absent action…and then when his hand settled on the rise of Will's buttocks and Will tensed, Hannibal noticed immediately.

Smoothly and not giving away that he'd noticed, Hannibal slid his hand away to settle on Will's waist instead, on the straight line of his hip just beneath the hem of the younger man's jacket. And when Will relaxed again, Hannibal felt relieved that he'd stopped his descent, and also, he now had an idea of what was probably the reason Will had decided to kiss him all the way out there.

He drew back from the kiss after a particularly long moment spent lavishing Will's mouth with warm, wet attention, his eyes opening just when Will's did and it gave Hannibal immeasurable pleasure to watch Will lick his kiss swollen lips slowly, his face lightly flushed and that he'd enjoyed the kiss so obviously expressed on his face.

It was an excellent sight, Will as he was –gorgeous and content- complimented by the starkly contrasting white and green vividness of the snowy forest backdrop, just as stunning as Hannibal had imagined he would be there.

He would perhaps recreate the lines and shading of the moment later in a drawing, because even without color it was beautiful, but right then, he wanted to test his theory on Will's motivations for kissing him, so to do so, Hannibal ventured a suggestion,

"We should head back," he said with an intentional amount of sensual suggestion in his tone, wanting to gauge Will's reaction. Predictably, Will tensed up again in his arms and averted his gaze with a few blinks, and with his theory seeming more probable, Hannibal knew exactly how to calm him, "what I have planned for dinner will take a fair while to prepare," he added in a normal tone, dispelling the atmosphere of anything sexual, "and I have extra appointments all day tomorrow so I'd like to retire earlier to bed." the tip of his nose brushed Will's, the action completely born of impulse.

And when Will's mouth parted into a smile showing his teeth –likely in relief- and his body relaxed again, Hannibal knew he'd guessed right about Will's hidden anxiety. Hannibal returned the smile with a small curving of his own lips and then slowly, and still slightly awkward on Will's part, they separated, standing a moment and looking at one another before they both turned and began walking back the way they'd come.

"I'll help you with dinner." Will said after a few steps, glancing over as he slid his hands into his pockets again, no longer asking if his help would be welcome because he knew that it would.

"Thank you." Hannibal said in response, because it was polite to do so.

They lapsed into comfortable silence then and Hannibal took the time to consider what he'd discovered by testing Will's physical anxiety. It was only marginally easier recently to read Will in terms of the physically intimate side of their relationship, he could take a few helpful clues these days from being able to stand a little closer and touch a little more, it gave him more to go on, but it was still by no means easy. Will's interpersonal side was really complicated on an average day, and their newly developing sexual relationship only complicated it further.

But despite that, Hannibal had a feeling that his assessment was likely right that time, after having felt Will only tense up in his hold at rather specific moments.

It would seem that Will had had an ulterior motive in dragging Hannibal out with him into the cold -layered in many clothes and far, far away from the house-, where there would be no privacy or their bedroom nearby, before he'd decided to initiate a proper kiss that he didn't choose to end prematurely.

Apparently, Will was _nervous_ to be alone with him under certain potentially sexual circumstances.

But it didn't make sense that Will was experiencing nerves because of the possibility of having sex in terms of the act itself, since they'd already done it, so Will knew what to expect and going forward the entire affair and all of the limitations and logistics it involved would be completely in his control. So Hannibal could only assume that it was more likely that Will didn't want to have sex again _**just yet**_ , for whatever reason. And judging by his behavior, it seemed that he was nervous because he was uncertain of either his ability or autonomy in their relationship, to say ' _no_ ' or ' _not yet_ ' or any variation of such, to Hannibal, should he want more than just kissing or light touching from Will.

And if he had to venture a guess as to _why_ Will was suddenly so tentative about putting his foot down, Hannibal would say it was likely guilt making Will feel that saying 'no' to him now, so soon after saying 'yes', would cause problems or a rift of some kind between them…but that was not the case.

It was yet another thing that Hannibal felt mildly insulted by, but also felt strongly that he needed to let Will know he was wrong about, that whether or not they had sex again within the next week, month…or even the next year, the act itself didn't matter as much to Hannibal as Will thought it did.

Hannibal had waited for Will for so long, had waited with no expectation even…that waiting now and knowing that eventually Will would come to him on his own, whenever he was _ready_ , was no problem at all.

Hannibal glanced up the path and then to Will at his side, taking in the sight of the soft curls and subtle waves of his hair, messily settled around his ears and against his forehead, the cold reddened delicate shells of his ears contrasting the stark fairness of his skin and darkness of his hair, the color of his eyes partially washed out under the late sun, his lips dry and parted just enough to allow small clouds of condensate air to form with each breath.

Tempted as he was to steal another kiss, Hannibal didn't, because he had to be patient, he had to go at Will's pace at all times, even outside of the bedroom, when it came to navigating their physical relationship.

He averted his gaze, settling it on the track of their footprints heading down the path in the snow from earlier, their boot prints just lightly off to the side of where they were walking now, and after licking the taste of Will from his lips, Hannibal addressed the issue he'd wanted to before Will had kissed him,

"Do you enjoy walking this path because it reminds you of your dogs and Wolf Trap?" he asked, intentionally inflecting a certain amount of softness into his tone so that Will knew he wasn't asking to antagonize him over a sensitive subject from the past. And when Will glanced at him, Hannibal offered him a slight and curious smile, "Do you imagine yourself having a dog now, and taking it for walks here?" he used his eyes to reference the wide snow path around them before looking at Will again.

The younger man stared at him as they walked -snow crunching underfoot, a large bird flying overhead and cawing-, and as Will blinked slowly and evenly, his gaze steady and evaluating, Hannibal knew that Will was considering his words, was looking for motives or underlying meanings to the simple line of questioning. But whatever he was looking for, he wouldn't find it, because Hannibal wasn't looking for painful points from their past to exploit or start a disagreement over, he was asking sincerely.

Will looked away after a second blink, by that point his empathy and observance having ascertained nothing dubious or deceptive, and Hannibal watched as Will's expression softened, the brunette averting his gaze to the path around them, clearly now earnestly thinking of the most honest way to answer the question. Hannibal knew he was probably also thinking of a way to talk about it while avoiding saying the wrong thing, not wanting to poke at old and just about healed over wounds without meaning to.

There were so many holes and rips in the fabric of their relationship from the last few years of their lives before they'd killed The Dragon, that it was treacherous territory to work through at the best of times.

Will cleared his throat as he looked ahead up the path to where the roof of the house was just becoming visible, and he shifted his lower jaw from side to side briefly before taking a breath and huffing out a mirthless laugh,

"I try not to imagine it." he said finally, deciding to avoid the subject completely, but he didn't seem angry or sad, rather, he sounded resigned and neutral. The latter a tone that Hannibal really had grown to despise from Will, especially since they'd come a long way from the point where Will had any reason to sound so indifferent.

Hannibal took a moment to expel his frustration at the dull tone, and as they made their way over a small incline in the path, he considered everything he could say to that simple admission. Hannibal considered that he could just give Will a longwinded psychiatric spiel about unhealthy mindsets and reasonable expectation versus the perpetual anticipation of a negative outcome…but then, he decided that perhaps the situation required a simpler approach, so he took it,

"If you want a dog, Will…then please, get a dog." and that was as simple as it got really.

And it was _massively_ effective, more so than any –if not all- of the many convoluted riddle-like and complexly articulated conversations Hannibal had had with him in the past, because Will's reaction was immediate. He stopped walking and when Hannibal stopped too and looked at him, his emotions were distinctly readable, with no obscurity hiding anything within his expression. In fact, he was an open book in that moment and Hannibal read many feelings in his face; shock, confusion, hope and hesitant affection.

He watched with a carefully blank expression on his face as Will stepped backwards on the shallow snow embankment that led up to the large backyard of the house, seemingly slightly off balance as he blinked with wide, bright and uncertain eyes at Hannibal, a slight frown creasing his brow. Will swallowed lightly, his gloved hands hanging limp at his sides and mouth pinched into a tense line as he attempted to puzzle out –yet again- whether there was some hidden intention behind what Hannibal had just said to him.

Hannibal thought about not saying anything and letting Will be the first to break the silence, but Will's increasingly baffled expression made him feel the need to rebalance the younger man. And he wasn't sure how his next action would be received, but thinking it was best that Will get used to the idea that kissing would not necessarily lead to Hannibal wanting to jump his bones, he stepped up closer to Will with a smile showing a few of his teeth and snuck that kiss he'd wanted earlier.

It was a lingering, softly sucking touch of their lips that caused a subtle hitch in Will's breath and reawakened the rambunctious butterflies in Hannibal's stomach, before he drew back, brushing the backs of his knuckles over Will's trimly bearded and scarred cheek as their eyes met,

"This is your home as much as mine, Will…" he said quietly, letting slip the honest affection he felt into his words spoken inches from Will's lips, Will's frown easing as Hannibal tracked his eyes over the angles and lines of Will's face fondly, "…if it would please you to have a dog, then by extension of your pleasure, I too, shall be pleased." he admitted plainly, in a way that could not be misconstrued or misapprehended.

There was a pause then as Will just stared at him, and Hannibal gave him the quiet moment he needed to look for insincerity. And after a few cloudy breaths, when Will's stare eased into a few quick blinks and he exhaled softly – and shakily due to whatever emotions he was feeling at finding Hannibal's words to be earnest-, Hannibal lightly touched his arm, squeezing it gently through the jacket in wordless assurance before he turned and walked away, heading to the stone stairs leading up to the back yard.

It was a good feeling for Hannibal, that for the first time inside their new relationship dynamic, he'd managed to be the one walking away, leaving a stunned and confused, but not unhappy Will, to follow after him.

It felt a lot like progress, and where Will's feelings were concerned, progress was invaluable.

* * *

It was two days later before Will broached the subject of getting a dog again.

Hannibal was sitting at his desk in his practice office writing patient notes, it was relatively late that Tuesday evening, his last patient having left a half hour earlier and the time presently was going on for 9 PM. It was later than usual to still be in the city, but that was because Hannibal had moved around appointments for that week so that his entire Thursday would be clear. He and Will had a target to hunt down on Wednesday night, and since Will wasn't fond of having to go to work the day after a kill, Hannibal made sure they'd have a day off.

In order to make that happen, he'd seen more clients on Monday and Tuesday, and would on Wednesday morning and all of Friday as well, to make up for the day off.

Presently, he was making some final notes into a bipolar patient's session journal. They were admittedly boring notes though, since he no longer made a habit of collecting potential psychopathic murderers as patients –as it would be counterproductive to keeping themselves hidden-, and so there was never anything particularly interesting to muse over.

Just the usual mundane things most of the time, the standard pathological types who dealt with standard issue neuroses; severe OCD, depression, insomnia, bipolar, nightmares, various psychological addictions, chronic adulterers, stress, self-destructive types and so on and so forth.

It was fine though, Hannibal didn't miss his murderer factory quite as much as he'd thought he would in the beginning. He'd produced his finest work of art from within it already, and had been able to keep Will all for himself, and that was quite satisfying.

Thinking of said work of art –with fond warmth-, just then Will walked through the open door into the office from the reception area carrying a stack of patient files in his hands. Hannibal raised his head and paused in his writing to watch Will as the younger man walked straight across the office and up the short set of floating steps that led to the filing cabinets on the mezzanine floor.

With Will preoccupied, Hannibal took a moment to appreciate his lean form -as he often did-, raking his gaze from the top of Will's head –his partially neat, loosely gelled dark curls-, over the posture of his torso –broad shoulders, his spine curving lightly in toward his lower back-, to the rise of his toned rear –shapely even beneath the properly fitted gray formal pants that he wore-, and over his long legs set just slightly a part -in a natural but unconsciously masculine stance- and finally down to his shoes –expensive leather oxfords that shaped his feet into their slender and elegant cut.

Inhaling long and silently, Hannibal wet the inner seam of his lips and absently tapped his finger against the pen he held, the inky tip set mere millimeters away from the soft paper of his patient journal. He continued to watch as Will carried out the tedious task of filing, opening and closing drawers after slipping blue folders in here and there. And despite the task being something painstakingly boring in his own opinion, Hannibal knew that Will appreciated the fact that he got to spend his days keeping his imagination all to himself, not having to be immersed in the minds of other people and killers, and only using his brilliant mind when it was purely for his own pleasure.

His life and mind and job were all his own now, and Hannibal knew Will liked it that way, and that's why Hannibal would do everything on his part to keep it that way, including protect the life they'd made for themselves where they were and wherever they ended up in future. While domesticity had never been something he'd seen himself embracing, he wasn't all that surprised that he was able to live that way for Will, because Will had changed him.

When Will had set the last file away and was closing the drawer, he broke the silence in the office,

"I was looking at the local dog shelter website online."

Brought back from his thoughts, Hannibal blinked Will back into focus and raised his eyebrows slightly when the younger man turned around and looked at him. He wasn't at all interested in talking about dogs –let alone living with one-, but he would manage that just as he'd managed everything else that came with living with Will.

Sacrifices, big and small and of all kinds were innumerable between them by that point, it was just par for the course in their relationship.

"Have you found a dog you'd like to adopt?" he asked evenly, sounding politely interested as he lowered his eyes to his notes and reread the last half finished sentence he'd written, setting the pen tip back to the paper and completing the line of thought with easy and slight curving strokes before he dotted in a period to close the paragraph once he was done.

Will's shoes tapped lightly on the stairs as he walked back down to the main floor, and Hannibal looked up then, setting his pen down just as Will started to walk across the medium sized office toward the desk. He came to stop on the other side of the desk across from where Hannibal sat and slipped one hand into his pants pocket as he raised the other to rub over the side of his neck,

"Yeah…" Will was looking right at him again, holding eye contact and probably looking for any signs that he'd changed his mind about the dog.

Perhaps Will thought that the kiss they'd shared on the path had been the inspiration for him to be kind in the moment? Hannibal wouldn't be surprised if that was it, honestly, Will could be so unintentionally daft and nonsensical sometimes. If Hannibal were still prone to becoming angry over such small slights and inadvertent insults, he and Will certainly would not be able to coexist as well as they did.

"I imagine it's the most forlorn canine of the lot on offer." Hannibal set aside his thoughts about Will still thinking that there was some influential connection between their emotional relationship and the newly developing sexual side of it. Best to let that frame of mind ease itself out over time, so that it would be a natural purge of Will's lingering mistrustful and asinine ideas about his motivations regarding the younger man.

Will's smile at his words was certainly a nice reward for his patience, and Hannibal allowed himself to smile right back, genuine and fond at seeing Will's entire face lose all tension and doubt. And Hannibal determinately ignored the fact that gravity suddenly evacuated the space inside his chest and stomach, deciding that if he was to be ridiculously emotionally affected by every little thing that Will Graham made him feel, then he would do so with his best outward façade of calm collectedness.

Will nodded as his toothy smile lessened to something sweeter, affectionate even,

"Forlorn and not the best looking one of the selection."

"But certainly no less loveable." Hannibal added with his smile still in place, knowing Will would love any dog he took in no matter what, and he kept his eyes on Will's face even as the younger man glanced down at the desk, tapping his fingers there idly as his smile grew wider again,

"Exactly." he agreed quietly.

Hannibal wasn't surprised in the least about Will's choice, as the younger man's former dogs had all been neglected, abandoned or lost strays, wandering mutts that Will had happily cared for and given loving and safe homes to, restoring each one to health with individual attention. It was a huge part of who Will was. Hannibal just counted himself lucky that Will was an excellent dog trainer, because otherwise he might have had to worry about the risk of damage inside the house as opposed to just dog hair on the furniture and water and food spillage outside of ugly stainless steel bowls which would be sitting on his kitchen floor in the future.

Yes, domestic life was quite a challenge.

"When will you visit the shelter to fetch him or her?" he asked, leaning back in his seat when Will finally looked at him again and the brunette raised his eyebrows and tilted his head slightly,

"I was thinking Saturday." he shifted on his feet, turning so that his hip was toward the desk before he sat just on the edge, looking sideways and expectantly at Hannibal over the angle of his shoulder. And Hannibal nodded once in agreement with that idea, feeling very grateful that Will decided on Saturday, because he had patients to see and he wouldn't have to go along to the shelter, which was good for him because he frankly didn't want to, and it was good for Will because he could take all the time he needed to spend fussing and fawning over the animals there, "That'll give me Friday to pick up the stuff I'll need, like a dog bed and blanket, food bowls, a walking leash and collar, some toys, tick and flea shampoo…uh, and…also…" Hannibal raised an eyebrow slightly at Will's sudden hesitation, "…we'll have to talk about, uh…about dog food, because I usually prepare it from, uh…from scratch…I cook it myself…so…" he trailed off, pursing his lips and raising his eyebrows.

Hannibal blinked slowly as he registered what Will was trying to tell him, that being, that they needed to talk about the fact that Will would need to cook the dog's food…in his immaculate, custom designed, restaurant grade kitchen…

…but wait, no, that wasn't right, it wasn't _his_ kitchen anymore, it was… _their_ kitchen.

After all, if it were just Hannibal's kitchen then there'd be no oversized, print adorned coffee mugs in the cupboard, or the occasional loaf of processed store bought white sliced bread in an out of place bread bin on the counter top, or soap bubbles left in the sink after dishes were washed and the water had drained…or a second black apron hanging up beside his own plain white one that had the words _'I'd tell you the recipe, but then I'd have to kill you'_ printed in white bold font on the front of it.

Quite unexpectedly, Hannibal felt himself wanting to grin when another swell of sappy emotion bloomed in his chest, but he managed to keep his smile slight -but entirely fond and genuine-, and to distract himself from staring up at the calm but expectant expression on Will's handsome face, Hannibal focused on his desk, removing his pen from the page he'd been writing on before closing the patient journal,

"Then we shall discuss it over dinner tonight." he said simply and with an open tone so Will would recognize that it was a fully negotiable subject, because Will reacted well to openness and honesty, especially from Hannibal who'd always talked to him in the exact opposite manner in the past.

Riddles, lies and games were all a thing of the past now.

When Hannibal set the journal aside and looked up again, Will was still smiling at him, and he found himself committing each smile to his memory banks so that he'd never forget a single one that was intended specifically and sincerely for him.

After a moment of eye steady contact, Will nodded once,

"Great…" and then he nodded again before he stood up off the desk, reaching out and neatening a stack of books and papers at the corner idly –not unlike Hannibal usually did-, and then he took in a short breath and a step back and asked quietly, "…are you, uh, ready to go home?"

Hannibal nodded once, always loving the way the word 'home' sounded on Will's lips when referring to their shared abode. He glanced down at his hands settled on the closed journal and the desk as he reeled in his over sentimentality, and then said evenly,

"Yes, in a moment…" he looked back up at Will only once he'd composed himself again, "…if you'll please see that everything is closed up and packed away, I'll gather my things and we'll leave." he rolled his chair back and stood up gracefully, habitually fastening the button of his suit jacket.

Will nodded again, used to their daily routine even if it was a few hours later than usual, and as he walked away toward the door Hannibal watched him go, absently straightening his cuffs as he tracked his eyes over the length of the younger man's body. And when Will disappeared through the door, Hannibal closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, organizing the events of the day and his thoughts about Will within his mind in a tidy few seconds.

Once he felt centered again, he gathered his things; car keys, wallet, gloves, scarf, coat and leather briefcase…and then as he crossed his office space, approaching the doorway through which he'd join Will in the reception area, he smiled to himself…a small, personal and rather content smile.

And it was just that _simple_ , smiling just because he felt like it, just because Will made him want to.

And incidentally, when he walked out of his office, he found that Will was smiling too.

* * *

That evening, Hannibal was -oddly- pleased, when after he and Will had had a long discussion over dinner and had come to an agreement on the preparation times and usable dishes, ingredients and pantry space for the dog's food, -which had essentially just been Hannibal giving into just about everything Will wanted-, that that night, once they'd settled in bed, Will hadn't tried to initiate anything sexual.

Hannibal had been genuinely concerned, more and more with every smile and grateful look that Will had given him all through dinner, that the younger man would feel some sort of obligation, or an urge to 'give back' sexually for what he perceived he was getting out of Hannibal's 'generosity'. A scenario which would have been deeply incensing for Hannibal to say the least, as well as it would have highlighted a backwards and flawed human way thinking that Will had exhibited having on rare occasion when it came to certain aspects of their relationship.

But Will hadn't done anything of the sort, in fact, despite having been comfortably relaxed after a glass of wine with dinner and two double shots of whiskey after, and having had all of his requests met with ample compromise pertaining to his future pet, Will had done little more than meet Hannibal halfway in their bed to share the usual one or two lip to lip kisses, before he'd rolled over and gone to sleep.

And Hannibal was abundantly pleased with that, because it meant that Will was finally getting it, finally realizing that what happened in their everyday lives and their emotional relationship, had nothing at all to do with sex.

They were two separate issues and Will _needed_ to realize that all on his own, and the sooner the better.

* * *

On Wednesday morning, some time after breakfast, Hannibal had noticed immediately that Will was distracted.

And later that same day during the early evening, just hours before they'd left the house to go and hunt down their mark, he'd been very aware of the fact that Will seemed half-focused, irritable and upset about something.

But Hannibal hadn't said anything about it or brought it up, because Will tended to have very negative reactions to his state of mind being questioned. And getting into a disagreement before a hunt would be no good.

So Hannibal had decided not to mention it…

…a decision he would later regret.

* * *

Elias Claesson was a 31 year old service attendant who worked at a gas station near the center of the city. He was a man of average build, average health and average looks who lived alone, and at a fleeting glance he appeared to be about as happy or miserable as the average person was. No more and no less. He almost always smelled of cheap beer whenever he was on service duty, regardless of what shift he was working, day or night and he had an impatience about him, something in his eyes, which contradicted his otherwise lackluster demeanor.

The first time Elias had been unnecessarily curt and rude, it hadn't been to Hannibal directly, but rather to a customer who he'd been seeing to while Hannibal had been present inside the gas station convenience store. The second time however, Elias had made the grave and fatal error of being rude to Hannibal firsthand, and again for no good reason whatsoever, but just because he was an ill-mannered pig.

That incident had taken place a month ago now, and Hannibal and Will had spent enough time waiting, learning their mark's patterns and habits and plotting their course of action, and the time had come to kill him.

Elias lived in a small semidetached house in the more suburban parts of Skellefteå, and while it wasn't an isolated living situation, Elias was enough of a generally unpleasant, often drunk man, that for the most part he was ignored by his neighbors.

For that reason, it made it fairly easy for Hannibal to sneak onto his property via the overgrown low wall which surrounded a small ill-kempt backyard. The plan was that he'd wait for Will to lure Elias away and off guard by knocking on the unsuspecting man's front door, at which time Hannibal would enter the house through the back door. Will most often did the 'luring' in their shared hunts, since he was good at –and enjoyed utilizing his imagination- pretending to be unintimidating and nervous, the bespectacled stranger who seemed perfectly harmless, avoiding eye contact and fidgeting or stammering. And it'd work especially well on a guy like Elias who was the same height as Will but was slightly broader in build and tended to behave as a typical brutish male type.

Presently, Hannibal waited in the backyard, wearing his plastic suit over his layers of warm clothing and standing in the shadows, breathing in the cold night air with even breaths. It was late, just after midnight and just about every other light in the attached houses were out and the streets were empty, the moon was barely half and the sky near starless, making the landscape darker for it. From inside the house, Hannibal could hear a television on, and only one light was on in the lounge, and since Elias would have only gotten off shift from the gas station an hour earlier, Hannibal knew the man would be drinking, probably eating a late microwave dinner.

He waited near enough to the slightly open kitchen window and back door, until he heard knocking filter through the house. Hannibal listened as Elias' footsteps sounded, heavy on wooden floors, and after nine footfalls came the sound of the front door opening, then there was a beat of silence followed by the muffled sound of two voices, both moderately deep in tone, conversing.

Hannibal knew it was Will at the door, and so he opened the unlocked backdoor and slipped inside, silent as ever.

As he walked silently through the small kitchen and into the lounge, Hannibal could now clearly hear Will talking. He was affecting a slightly uneven and apologetic tone, pretending to be a lost American visitor who was hampered by the cold weather and his weak understanding of the Swedish language. Hannibal listened as Elias rudely asked what Will wanted, first in Swedish and then in broken English a moment later, and Will answered that he was seeking directions back to the city center where his hotel was. Hannibal came around the corner of the narrow house entrance then, just in time to see Will gesturing to where he'd parked the car they'd hired on the curb right in front of Elias's narrow driveway.

Elias, whose tone had been clearly irritable all along, was predictably unhelpful to Will, not even attempting to speak in English again to accommodate Will's supposed lack of understanding, and he gestured with the beer can he held, making a shooing motion as he told Will to leave and knock on someone else's door.

Will didn't even bother continuing the charade, merely cocking an eyebrow at the rude man just when Hannibal came up behind Elias and easily got him into a merciless chokehold. And despite Will having been distracted all day –even on the car ride into the city-, he didn't hesitate to move the very second Hannibal had a hold of Elias, reaching out and taking the beer can in his gloved hand so that it didn't land on the floor, and as he stepped inside, he blocked the partially open space of the doorway with his full form, no longer slouching or acting meek.

He was wearing a large black puffy hooded parka as well, making it easier to obscure the doorway, and additionally, Elias hadn't switched the entryway light on, so it was fairly dark and Will made it look as natural as possible as he stepped inside when Hannibal dragged Elias' quickly sagging weight backwards into the lounge, Will closing the door behind himself quietly.

Nothing moved in the street, no one peeked out of their windows and not a sound was made.

* * *

Hannibal felt a little better after that, seeing that Will seemed to be properly focused again.

They'd carried out the rest of the plan with easy synchronicity then, Hannibal choking Elias until he passed out before they moved his unconscious form to the trunk of Elias' own car which was parked under his awning covered side driveway. In the shroud of late night and still wearing the hooded parka, Will left through the front door and walked back to the hired car, getting in, moving the car to unblock the driveway and waiting.

Hannibal went through the motions of switching all the lights and the television off and locking up the house, and having taken Elias' winter jacket, wallet and car keys, Hannibal got into Elias' car and reversed down the driveway, pulling out on to the street and driving away ahead of Will, who followed, making it appear as though he were following Elias, who had left his house seemingly voluntarily.

And when someone eventually did go looking for Elias, they'd find not a trace of evidence to suggest he'd been abducted, and they certainly wouldn't find his car or his body.

* * *

The plan was well in motion some time later.

Hannibal and Will had driven out to an isolated stretch of farmland that Hannibal had purchased some time ago, the basement of the farmhouse on the property serving as a place for slaughtering their pigs. It was not unlike the place Hannibal had had in Somerville, Virginia where he'd kept Miriam Lass so many years ago, being completely isolated and surrounded by snow and trees for miles and owned under a different name, it was ideal.

Presently Will had just pulled on his plastic suit and was yanking up the zipper with irritable tense movements. Hannibal glanced at him from where he was removing his medical case of tools and organ cooler bag from the back of the hired car. Noticing the pinched expression on Will's face as he shivered since he was no longer wearing the warm parka, Hannibal asked before he could tell himself not to,

"Are you alright, Will?"

Predictably, Will shot him a look of exasperation and blatantly ignored the inquiry as he walked away from the passenger side of the car, slamming the door as he did so. Hannibal watched as Will made his way over to Elias' car, intending to retrieve the man from the trunk and Hannibal was tempted to offer –or insist rather- that he'd fetch the man. But seeing the tense line of Will's shoulders and his aggressive bearing, Hannibal knew that he'd likely only end up pissing Will off further, which would make the night feel far longer than it should.

As he walked toward the front door of the rundown farmhouse, Hannibal wondered why he hadn't just suggested postponing the kill for another day that morning already, when Will had started acting weird. But he knew it was because Will would have said no anyway and Hannibal wouldn't have wanted to postpone it in the first place, because he hated putting things off, especially when he was looking forward to it. And he was just thinking that perhaps he should have come alone instead…

…when Will's distraction finally caught up with them.

He'd heard the sound of the car trunk opening and then the thud of a body being dragged out and landing on the compact snow covered ground, but when there came an aggressive shout in a panicked tone and then a winded grunt -that was _distinctly_ Will's- followed by the harsh crushing sound of snow under heavy weight, Hannibal whipped around to find that Elias was awake. And having apparently feigned unconsciousness until Will had taken him out of the trunk, he'd tackled Will and was presently scrambling atop the brunette, cursing and threatening murder…and raising a fist…

Blood rose up in Hannibal's mind palace, flooding every room, flooding his veins and his vision and his senses…

He dropped everything and moved.

Will was far from defenseless though, and while he'd been distracted enough to not notice that Elias had regained consciousness, he came back to focus quickly, just when Elias was about to start wailing on him. Will managed to deflect the first punch and he immediately threw one of his own, catching Elias hard on the side of his face with a closed fist, but it wasn't enough to dislodge the man and the next punch Elias threw landed with a dull smack against Will's left cheek.

Hannibal was there before Elias could even raise his fist again, and completely uncaring of the fact that he'd wanted to savor killing the man, Hannibal deftly wrapped his arms around Elias' neck and head and viciously yanked him backwards off of Will, eliciting a choked and gurgling yelp from the panicked man.

Blackly furious, Hannibal dragged the frantically struggling, air deprived, frightened Elias backwards until he came to an old pile of bricks lying off to the side of the house. And it took little effort for Hannibal to throw Elias down on the ground, bash his head once against the red brick pile to disorient him, before he grabbed Elias by his short hair, guided his open mouth onto the edge of a brick, stood up, raised a foot and brought it down onto the back of Elias' head with a satisfying crack and gush of blood and teeth.

The gore looked monochrome under the faint moonlight, black and white and wet.

Not even out of breath, with a steady heart rate and the blood draining rapidly from his vision, Hannibal didn't linger over Elias' dead, twitching body for even a second, immediately turning around and walking back to where Will was sitting in the snow and _seething_. Hannibal came to stand over him, looking down at the younger man as Will stared with narrowed and dark eyes at Elias' limp body several meters away. His face was naturally red in places from being flustered with anger, and unnaturally redder where he'd been hit, and Will's jaw was tense, his nostrils flaring with each harsh breath he took.

Hannibal stood over Will like that for a few seconds, letting Will calm himself down as he tamped down the flickering embers of his own fury, as it was threatening to return at seeing the red blotchy skin where a bruise would form on Will's cheek and jaw. He found himself wishing that he could bring Elias back to life just to make him suffer a little longer…yes, he'd been impulsive with that kill, but it was known to happen, rare though it was.

Only once Will finally slid his eyes to look up at him did Hannibal move, bending over and not offering help to Will, but instead grabbing him up by his arm and the collars of both the plastic overall and his jacket and easily lifting the younger man to his feet.

Hannibal didn't let Will go though, even after he'd found his balance. Instead he held the younger man there, close enough that their cloudy breaths merged between their faces. He looked directly into Will's night darkened eyes, the younger man looking right back at him, still breathing a bit heavily, his pale lips trembling slightly because of the cold dampness now clinging to the back of his hair from the snow, and the wet plastic suit leeching warmth from the clothes at his back.

Hannibal broke their eye contact first, tracking his gaze over the bruised side of Will's face slowly, clenching his jaw lightly and swallowing with a soft click as he saw the beginning of swelling over Will's cheek. He raised his hand from where it'd been clenched in the collars of Will's layers, and despite not being gentle as he took a hold of the uninjured side of Will's face, the younger man didn't flinch or pull away from him.

It took a few long seconds of feeling Will's breathing even out and the tension leaving the younger man's body, of standing close enough to smell Will's anger and anxiety fade away into the crisp night air, before Hannibal was able to properly calm himself, the last few embers of his fury dying out as he took in a deep breath of his own and stroked his thumb along the line of Will's jaw, curling his fingers into the soft, damp hair at the nape of Will's neck.

The cold space left behind in the wake of his anger was filled in then with affection and relief, and then the sudden realization occurred to Hannibal that he'd only ever experienced that kind of blood driven, nearly uncontrollable and violent impulse to **kill** two other times in his life…

…once after Mischa, and the second time, when Francis had attacked Will that night on the bluff.

And when the yawning, overwhelming depth and truth and intensity of his feelings for Will were all at once revealed to him between one breath and another, Hannibal's mind palace -and every vulnerable space, thought and feeling it contained-, went into immediate lock down. Hannibal blinked once, and then he let go of Will somewhat abruptly, making the younger man take a step back from with the motion of it.

Will stared at him, with a hint of a frown appearing on his brow, and noticing the twitching line of his pale mouth, Hannibal suspected the younger man was considering saying something. But Hannibal did not have the correct presence of mind for hearing it right then, preferring for the moment to keep his guard up until he'd sorted through and reinforced the newly exposed and compromised areas that he'd just discovered existed within him.

So without saying a word or allowing Will to either, Hannibal turned around and made his way over to Elias' body so he could deal with that, deciding to get it over with quickly since he wanted the night over with as soon as possible…

* * *

It was around 4 AM and pitch dark outside when they arrived home.

They had barely spoken throughout the process of dealing with Elias Claesson's body, the atmosphere having been tense all the while, both men angry, upset and distant for different reasons. But the long, quiet drive home had been beneficial because it had given Hannibal enough time to deal with the revelation he'd had earlier. And despite it having felt so completely jarring at the time that he'd realized it, when he thought about it afterward- sitting beside Will in the rental car, the younger man warm and safe beside him in the passenger seat-, Hannibal realized that the deep reaching feelings didn't change anything.

The feelings didn't even complicate anything, because they'd probably only cause a problem if Will ever came close to being in danger again, and even then, only because Hannibal didn't know if he'd be able to control how he'd react to it, and there was always risk where there was impulsivity. Also, he wasn't used to not having absolute control over himself, so it made him feel a little edgy, but Hannibal was confident that after he'd spent enough time familiarizing himself with the feelings, he'd eventually have a solid grasp on it all and he'd eventually be able to master it like he had most everything else in his life.

In the meantime though, all it meant was that he loved Will more than he'd believed he had…that he loved Will to a more personally dangerous extent, which was kind of thrilling in its own curious and unique way.

Presently, Hannibal was locking the door behind them, and he glanced over at Will after clicking the latch into place to find that the younger man had removed his parka and jacket and was hanging them up on the coat hooks haphazardly. When he was done there, he removed his gloves and tossed them onto the foyer settee couch before he sat down and began to unlace his boots, and everything he did was carried out with tense and hurried movements.

But there was no need to hurry, there was nothing that needed to be done, their plastic suits and all the tools that needed sterilizing had already been cleaned on site, and since they'd taken no meat from Elias, there was nothing to take down to the basement freezers. And while the tools and cooler bag were still in the garage at the moment, along with the rental car which needed to be returned on Friday morning, everything was safe there, locked in the garage, and they were safe too…and yet Will refused to relax.

As he removed his own coat, Hannibal continued to watch Will as the younger man pulled his boots off and untidily placed them side by side beneath where their coats hung, pressing his socked feet flat against the heated floor as he did so. It bothered Hannibal to see Will so unsettled, to be able to smell the stress on him, sullying his pleasant natural aroma, but while he knew he'd realigned himself mentally on the drive home and so he felt calm and at ease, Will hadn't yet resolved whatever was bothering him, so he was still as highly strung as he'd been from the morning.

He watched as Will cuffed a hand through his hair, looking too pale and too tired, and the only thing Hannibal bothered to focus on right then was that Will was shivering slightly from the damp still clinging to his hair and neck, and that whatever he was upset and anxious about had worn him down from angry to defeated.

And then there was the faint bruise now visibly darkening over his cheekbone…

When Will stood up, it was an abrupt motion, and when he walked away, he did so without looking back.

Hannibal watched him go, his form disappearing into the dark living room, and once Hannibal could no longer hear Will's footfalls, he sighed noiselessly and moved to hang up his coat. He used his foot to neaten Will's boots with three small shifts, and after he'd removed his gloves and shoes as well, leaving everything neatly, he walked over to the thermostat at the side of the foyer/living room doorway and adjusted it, turning up the central heating for Will's sake before he put out the foyer light and made his way through the dark house.

Hannibal left everything in darkness as he went and as he entered and walked down the hall, he saw a soft and warm light coming from the ajar door of their bedroom, likely cast from one of the bedside lamps since it wasn't overly bright. He walked down the hall the rest of the way and stepped into the bedroom without hesitation, closing the door behind him as he would any other night, not about to let Will hide from him.

Not that Will was trying to, mind you, Hannibal's saw that when his eyes fell on the younger man, who was standing over by their wardrobes, having already removed his black sweater and was presently pulling his gray undershirt up over his head with the same jerky, rushed movements.

He was tossing his clothes onto the leather sofa as he undressed, and Hannibal held Will's gaze when the younger man paused in his underdressing to glance briefly at him across the large bedroom space before he looked away again and then down, continuing to undress as he unbuckled his belt.

Hannibal took a moment to consider whether or not he should wait until much later to ask Will to tell him what was troubling him, or whether he should go ahead and do it right then. But as he took in the exhausted slouch of Will's shoulders, Hannibal decided it would probably be better not to press the issue for the moment. And besides, Will tended to prefer to share his thoughts and feelings when he felt like it and not when asked or prompted, so there was still a chance that Will would tell him on his own time.

It would spare Hannibal the risk of Will being directly upset with him if he just waited and was patient, so he opted for that approach to the present tension brewing within their personal space instead.

Without a word, Hannibal slid his gaze away from Will just when the younger man was stepping out of his pant legs one by one, and he made his way across the room to his side on the left end of the bed, switching on the lamp light as Will had done with his own in order to cast more light over the bedroom. He then pulled his own black sweater up over his head and neatly folded it, setting it on the bed before he began unbuttoning his shirt.

Hannibal supposed it was a good sign that Will was still going through his usual routine of preparing for bed while he was present, because it meant that whatever was bothering Will likely didn't have anything to do with him.

A minute of quiet passed as they undressed, standing just a few meters away from one another, and it was when Hannibal was unfastening his belt that he heard Will sigh loudly and shakily. He raised his eyes from watching the leather slide through the buckle when he noticed Will moving in his peripheral, the younger man entering his line of sight proper as he sat down at the foot of the bed, still shivering slightly and now only wearing his gray boxer briefs.

Hannibal stilled, tracking his eyes over the plane of Will's pale back, from the shallow dimples above the line of his underwear all the way up, following the line of the lightly protruding nodules of his spine to the slouch of his shoulders and his limp curly hair. Will was leaning forward with his elbows on his thighs and his hands in his hair, and Hannibal parted his lips and took a breath, considering saying something, but then he swallowed it down, reminding himself to wait, once again choosing the simple path instead of the complicated questioning one.

He continued to undress, removing his belt from the pants loops, rolling it up and then setting it down before he emptied his pockets out onto the nightstand and unfastened his pants, the sound of the zipper coming down being somewhat loud in the quiet of the bedroom.

And it was when he was stepping out of his pants, that Will broke the silence,

"I'm sorry…" he breathed out, sounding sincere enough, albeit still unsteady in tone, "…I'm sorry that I upset you, that I…worried you." he sounded less certain of the latter than of the former, as if he hadn't witnessed Hannibal curb stomping Elias in a moment of enraged violent abandon, "And I'm sorry that I ruined the plan, I messed up tonight, Hannibal…" Will said with another sigh, shaking his head as he slipped his hands out of his hair and ran them down over his face.

Will's reluctance to believe that Hannibal worried for him reminded him again that Will could be so daft when he wanted to. But as Hannibal folded his pants over once and laid them on the bed with the rest of his clothes, also now left only wearing his underwear, he found himself smiling fondly at Will's obstinacy.

Done with undressing, Hannibal walked around the bed and sat down beside Will at the foot, leaving some distance between them since he doubted Will would appreciate any kind of physical closeness right then.

Hannibal didn't know whether Will wanted to be comforted, or even whether or not he would be if Hannibal decided to hold him. Despite having kissed and having had sex, they still hadn't spent any time just holding or being close, and so there were still a few undefined parameters that he needed Will to clarify eventually.

So not wanting to do the wrong thing right then, he waited until after Will glanced at him and when the younger man made no indication of finding his proximity unpleasant, Hannibal spoke,

"I am more concerned about what caused your lack of concentration tonight, than about the outcome of our venture, Will." he said evenly and honestly, because while there'd always be other people to kill and Will's bruises would heal, if something mental or emotional was afflicting the brunette, it was the primary issue that needed addressing.

Will pursed his lips then, Hannibal watching as they pinched white before he relaxed his mouth again and blood flooded back, the younger man sighing softly as he let his hands hang between his thighs and he took in a deep breath before speaking,

"It's Freddy Lounds." Will said stiffly, his tone cold and cruel and his jaw clenching briefly.

Hannibal had an 'ahah' moment at hearing Will's confession, and it made sense now, Will's bad mood, because Freddy Lounds –even just mentioned in passing- would almost always put Will in a foul mood if the correct triggers were activated. He found himself wondering what tasteless thing Freddy had done this time that had upset Will so much and he looked on at Will's side profile for a beat, before tracking his eyes downward over the skin stretched over Will's bare right shoulder, noticing the risen goose pimples all over his smooth skin.

The air was faintly touched with the sour notes of Will's disgust and he was obviously still feeling cold despite the room being more than comfortable in temperature. Hannibal was tempted to brush his knuckles over Will's sensitive skin and maybe run his fingers through the younger man's damp hair, considering suggesting that Will take a hot bath and sleep first, advise that they could talk about it after he'd rested…

…but he didn't say or do either, because he didn't know how it would be received.

Hannibal tracked his eyes over the subtle bone and muscle valleys of the younger man's arm and down over his torso, and after swallowing softly around a lump of emotional desire, Hannibal picked up the conversation, parting his lips with his tongue before he asked,

"What has she done?" in a carefully steady, quiet and curious tone.

Will's body tensed up and Hannibal raised his eyes to the younger man's face, seeing Will clenching his eyes shut and working his lower jaw briefly, before he took another breath and sat up straighter, opening his eyes slowly, gaze on the far wall as he shook his head,

"I made the mistake of looking her up this morning…" his mouth tightened into the familiar shape of a sneering-smile as he huffed out a mocking laugh, "…only to find that she's published a…brand new book," Will said the last three words through clenched teeth and then swallowed tensely, and Hannibal watched him closely, knowing what he was going to say even before he ground out, "about Abigail."

Hannibal raised his eyebrows in another 'ahah' moment then, as he watched Will's face fall into a guilty frown at the memory of the girl, his anger fading as quickly as it had come on.

When Hannibal didn't fill the silence, very wary of discussing Abigail with Will, the younger man went on tensely,

"I want to _kill_ her." and he stood up abruptly, beginning to pace as he always did when he was thinking too many things at once and feeling off kilter, every muscle in his body tense with each step he took.

With Will near naked and every sinuous line and muscle of his body highlighted by his tension, Hannibal had to make the careful effort to watch Will's faces as the younger man moved around, but while he was mesmerized by Will physically, he was also curious to hear what Will had to say about murdering Freddy,

"I want to go back to the states and do far worse things to her than we did to Bedelia." Will grated out through clenched teeth, "Rip her open right down the middle," Will glanced at him and rubbed a hand over his mouth once before he continued, "scatter her viscera all over the fucking main streets in Baltimore, along with her body… _expose_ everything inside her for everyone to see and stare at with morbid curiosity," Will was shaking now, his voice as well, but not so much with cold as with anger, "just as she's done to me in the past, and now to Abigail." he snapped, unclenching a fist to cut a hand through the air.

Hannibal watched him unblinking, a thrill moving down his spine as he pictured Will's design in his mind. But even as he found it beautiful and tempting, and could vividly see Will displaying Freddy Lounds in that way, he knew that doing what Will imagined would not be possible, not for a few years more still.

When Will had walked halfway across the bedroom, he turned back again and Hannibal met his gaze,

"Enticing an idea as it is, Will, to do so would be very unwise." he said honestly.

"Yes, I know." Will responded without missing a beat, pausing in his pacing a few feet away. He glanced down at himself as he shook his head, and then he folded his arms tightly across his chest as if he'd just now realized he was near naked, wearing nothing to hide the bumps all over his flesh or the cold hardened state of his nipples. When he went on, he was no longer making eye contact, "I've thought of that…all day…" he snorted, "…that whether the FBI found Bedelia or not, if there is still suspicion that we're alive, then Jack would _know_ that Freddy writing a book about Abigail would **piss** me off, would make me want to go after her, and he'd be watching her." he began to pace again.

And yes, that was true, but there was also another more positive possibility, something of a bright side, but Hannibal doubted Will would see it that way right then, upset as he was.

Still, he voiced it anyway,

"It may also be that people have finally begun to believe we're actually dead, hence now, Freddy feels secure enough that there is no risk involved in writing about Abigail, believing there is no consequences to be had for her actions." he pointed out calmly as he idly ran his hand over the impression on the duvet cover where Will had been sitting to flatten it, and then he looked back to the younger man. Will was staring at the floor and considering his words, but before he could take it the wrong way, Hannibal clarified, "Still, going after her so soon after she published her new book would be very reckless."

It really would, too much focus would be on Freddy and any number of things could go wrong.

"I know…" Will repeated in a defeated and tense mutter, worrying his lip with his teeth and clenching his fists where they were tucked under his arms. Hannibal again deliberated whether or not he should go over to Will, feeling a strong protective –and possessive- desire to draw Will into the warm circle of his arms, breathe him in with his nose to Will's skin, and hold him until all of the cold and tension left his lean body.

But while the urge was strong, Hannibal's control was stronger, and he opted instead to offer Will verbal reassurance,

"But someday, Will," he started, holding Will's gaze steadily when the younger man looked at him sharply, probably reacting to the intentionally dark tone of his voice, "someday we shall call on her, and she will face her punishment, just as Bedelia did." ' _And just as Alana will._ ' he added the last part only in thought, not wanting to say it out loud and upset Will further.

But Will narrowed his eyes at him as a brief flicker of knowing passed over his face, because Will didn't need his empathy to know that Alana was on Hannibal's list and that there would be no changing that, her time would come. Hannibal waited to see if Will would say something about it, mentally preparing himself for an argument, but the younger man just looked away after a moment and his expression relaxed into tired resignation. Hannibal supposed Will knew that nothing good would come of discussing it right then, so it would just have to be a precarious bridge that one day they'd have to cross when it became unavoidable…a matter for another time, as it were.

"Someday." Will repeated quietly, swallowing lightly so that his adam's apple bobbed slowly, and Hannibal blinked his gaze away from the tempting column of Will's neck and stood up, deciding that it wouldn't be too bad if he moved a little closer,

"Yes." he assured and took a few steps nearer, but still left several feet of distance between them, hyperaware of their partial nudity and wary of making Will uncomfortable, "And the more famous she becomes, the easier it'll be for us to find her when the time eventually comes." he let his solemn words sink in and waited until Will looked at him sidelong before he added, "And I promise you that, you will have her." and he meant it.

Freddy Lounds, much like Alana, was living on borrowed time, she had been for a long while.

And Hannibal could see that Will knew he meant what he said, because the younger man's green-blue eyes became clearer and brighter with determination as they looked at one another, unblinking until Will nodded once and then lowered his gaze to his feet, sniffing idly and hunching in on himself when he shivered again.

The tension eased away quickly from the atmosphere after that, and after taking in a quiet deep breath, Hannibal noted that the overwhelming miasma of scents from Will's various anxious emotions, was being overpowered now by a fresh release of that unique smell, the one that resembled arousal but was actually just Will's deep emotional attraction and affection swelling up anew within him.

It was a scent that revealed emotions of Will's to Hannibal that he would otherwise have never known about if it wasn't for his advanced olfactory sense, because Will never outwardly expressed such deep affection on his face or in his actions toward him. And Hannibal never pointed out that he could smell it on Will, indulging in it with private pleasure, allowing himself to be sweetly gratified and comforted by it, appreciating it in secret.

When Will shivered again and curled his toes against the floor, seemingly lost in thought, Hannibal intervened,

"You're cold, Will…" Hannibal announced, making Will look up and at him, blinking sluggishly with exhaustion, but before he could say anything further, Will was nodding and stepping toward the bathroom,

"Yeah, yeah I am, I'm gonna' take a shower…" he took a few steps in the direction of the bathroom and then paused halfway to the en-suite, unfolding his arms and gesturing from Hannibal to the bathroom, "…unless…uh, did you want to go first?" he offered in a tired and slightly raspy voice.

Hannibal couldn't help that for a split second, images flashed behind his eyes of he and Will sharing a shower together; of tasting warm water off the surface of Will's hot skin, of running soap silky hands slowly over Will's chest as he held the younger man close to him, of feeling Will's body, naked and slick, sliding against his own and of tangling his fingers in shampooed curly hair, scraping his fingernails over Will's scalp gently.

It was a sensual fantasy, one that Hannibal knew better than to entertain any hope for, because it was too soon to think of anything like that just yet...way too soon.

"No," he said evenly, voice actually a little flatter than he'd intended, "you go ahead." he added, but then before Will could walk away, his gaze flitted over the bruise on Will's face and he asked, "Shall I fetch you some ice?" and he gestured to his own face to reference Will's cheek. The younger man raised his hand as if to touch his face, looking as though he'd forgotten he was even injured and then he shook his head,

"Uh, no…no, it's fine…thanks," he cleared his throat of the slight rasp, "he didn't hit me that hard, it hardly even hurts." he waved it off.

Hannibal acknowledged his words with a subtle incline of his head, because truly, aside from a little bit of mottled bruising, Will's face did look just fine. Will nodded as well, and then he turned away and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind himself as he usually did…but never locking it. And whether that was intended as a sign of trust, a test of Hannibal's control or maybe even an open-ended invitation, Hannibal didn't know, and pathetic though it was, he didn't have the guts to ask.

He stood for a moment, taking the opportunity alone to let the ever present miasma of feelings that accompanied anything that had to do with Will, settle inside him, and after taking another steady silent breath, Hannibal turned and walked over to his chest of draws to find a pair of loose pants to wear so that he could occupy himself with tidying up after himself and Will.

And after he'd gathered up his and Will's dirty washing, Hannibal left the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

* * *

It took Hannibal an hour to tidy up, including cleaning the car interior –even though he and Will were careful not to leave fingerprints or DNA behind in the first place-, and moving the tools and organ cooler bag out of the garage and into the basement, where he packed everything away neatly. And after he'd tidied up the little things in the house as well, having neatened the foyer and placed his and Will's clothing into the wash and dryer, Hannibal was done with his self-set tasks and he returned to the bedroom to take a shower.

The room was in darkness and Will was already in bed –on the right side as per usual-, tucked under the covers even though the room was pleasantly warm, and while Hannibal could tell that Will wasn't yet asleep, he still moved quietly through the bedroom and into the en-suite.

He only spent twenty minutes under the hot water of the shower, washing away the scents of blood and death, Elias' fear and Will's anxiety from his skin and hair, and by the time he was done and had brushed his teeth and changed into sleep clothes, it was still dark outside.

He navigated the dark bedroom easily, and tired after a long day that had ended quite unsatisfactorily, Hannibal drew back the covers on his side and slipped into bed. He lied down on his back and drew the covers up to his chest, staring up at the white ceiling as his eyes adjusted to the dark, and after a minute when he could see better, he turned his head and slid his gaze to look at Will instead.

The younger man's back was facing him, his hair a fluffy mess of towel dried curls on his pillow, the back of his neck and the line of his shoulders visible above the covers as the duvet was draped from his upper arm down over the rest of his body...the line of his flank curving subtly into his side and his narrow waist, gathered over the slight rise of his hip and lumpy in an indiscernible shape over the length of his legs under the thick cover.

Hannibal took a moment to consider the consequences of reaching out and touching him, trying to decide whether it was worth risking Will brushing him off, or asking him outright to not touch him. Either outcome would hurt in that way that only Will could hurt him, but then again, there was always the chance that Will wouldn't even verbally or physically reject him…of course that didn't mean that he wouldn't be thinking it.

Hannibal didn't know which would hurt more, being told to stop touching him outright, or to wonder if Will would want to while not stopping him at all. But even with all the speculation, all of the uncertainty, Hannibal permitted himself a moment of weakness and risk and turned onto his side.

He moved a bit closer under the covers, but not in a way that Will wouldn't know what he was doing, because he knew Will was awake despite the younger man's breathing being calm. So Hannibal was careful to maintain transparency with his actions, and once he was close enough under the covers, only a foot of distance left between them, he reached out and touched just his fingertips, light and careful, to the top of Will's right shoulder, running his fingers over the soft white cotton of the sleeping shirt inward until he was touching the warm skin at the crook of Will's neck.

He settled his touch a little firmer then, because he didn't want to tickle Will's skin, turning it into a caress instead as he slid his fingers upward and spread them out. He traced his thumb up and over the prominent bump of Will's C7 vertebrae at the base of his neck, and his pinky finger grazed behind Will's ear just so as he slid all of his fingers smoothly up into Will's hair, which felt soft and dry. But he hadn't missed that Will's breathing had changed the moment he'd touched the younger man's skin, and while Will didn't tense up, he didn't relax into it either.

Inhaling silently with a slight ache in his chest, Hannibal accepted that Will was probably uncomfortable and he withdrew his hand, but then Will shifted…and Hannibal was surprised –his lips actually parting on a stuck breath- when Will's hand came up over his shoulder and Will caught his fingers with his own, linking them and squeezing.

Hannibal instinctively squeezed back, a little tighter, properly linking their fingers…and then when he felt Will tug softly at his hand, as if wanting him to come closer, Hannibal's heart rate increased just a few beats and his breath stuck again.

What happened next, again suggested that Will wanted him to come closer, Will shifting and keeping their fingers linked as he brought their hands down together to his side before he tugged again softly, pulling Hannibal toward him. Hannibal felt a twinge in his chest, warm and tight, and with his increased heartbeat and halting breath, he shifted closer, still somewhat uncertain but moving steadily in contradiction to it.

His uncertainty faded entirely though when Will separated their fingers only long enough to take a firm hold of his wrist instead, and then, when Hannibal was surer of what Will wanted, he moved all the way nearer much quicker. Will drew in his arm as he moved closer until it was settled around the younger man's torso, crooked over his side, bent at the elbow and with his forearm lightly pressed against Will's warm, firm chest, the overall position bringing Hannibal close enough that his chest was almost flush to Will's back.

Close and holding, intimate in another new and sweet way.

And the moment Will _pressed back_ into him, pressed _even closer_ , Hannibal's longstanding restraint crumbled and he pressed forward into Will with an appreciative but quiet breath, removing the last of the space between them and trapping only heat and closeness there. When Will relaxed into him a second later, he held the younger man to him tighter with his forearm against Will's chest, and he absently splayed his right hand over the base of Will's throat and caressed the skin there, feeling Will's pulse beneath smooth skin, the slightly elevated rush of his blood through his carotid artery thrumming beneath his thumb.

Momentarily overwhelmed by the intimate feeling of Will in his arms, Hannibal pressed his face into the side of Will's hair and inhaled deeply, content beyond reason to have Will so close again. He got lost in the moment quite easily, with his eyes closed and his nose in Will's curls, the length of their bodies flush...and in the rush of feelings Hannibal got carried away, sliding a leg behind one of Will's and pressing a kiss behind the younger man's ear, his hips lightly pressing against Will's backside…

…but when Hannibal heard Will let out an audible, uneven breath, he quickly came back to his senses and reeled himself in, opening his eyes as he pursed his lips against Will's neck and steadied his breathing.

The idea of letting go seemed impossible, and Hannibal hesitated to do so, but when Will didn't pull away from him or tense up, instead of letting go, Hannibal just relaxed his hold, remaining where he was, but easing up so he wasn't too close in the overbearing way he had been a moment ago.

Half propped up on his left forearm, Hannibal glanced down at the side of Will's face, and he was surprised to see that the brunette's eyes were closed…and then he took note that there were no hints of distress to Will's scent. It made Hannibal wonder if he'd misread Will's exhale a moment ago, thinking that perhaps it hadn't been any kind of stress or discomfort and he'd just worried too soon…because Will seemed fine, close to asleep even.

It was a background thought, the mental note that he shouldn't just guess or assume what Will was thinking or feeling anymore, something he'd think about later.

Presently, he held back a sigh of relief and pressed his mouth lightly into Will's curls before he asked,

"Is this alright?" in a low, quiet tone.

And he wasn't sure whether or not he'd expected Will to answer verbally or not, but he wasn't surprised when the younger man responded by placing his right hand over Hannibal's where it was settled against his chest, linking their fingers together again and squeezing. But as unsurprised as he was, Hannibal had to close his eyes and mentally compose himself, refraining from holding Will too tightly again as he experienced another wholly emotional reaction to Will's willing closeness that made him feel as though he were floating.

The feeling was completely foreign and more than a little terrifying.

He lowered himself to lie down properly then, with his left arm up above his head, and as he lay still with his head beside Will's on the pillow, slowly but surely the tension of trying to keep himself in control faded as Will's breathing became steadier and deeper and his own synchronized with it, lulling him into relaxing, content in the knowledge that Will had fallen asleep in his arms.

It was pathetically sentimental to think that way, and awfully sweet and tender to fall asleep holding another person while so earnestly wanting to. And as his nose was pleasantly tickled by Will's curls and his eyes drifted closed, Hannibal could only smile to himself.

Distantly, in the back of his mind, among the few slowly trailing off trains of thought that he'd been simultaneously experiencing, the question did linger though, that maybe he'd been misinterpreting Will for a while now. That perhaps all the time that had gone by where they'd slept in the same bed but separately, had in fact been his fault.

Perhaps, if he'd just reached out sooner…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> [Tumblr](http://phenobarbitalfiction.tumblr.com/)


	5. ...like you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- This story was inspired by a Damien Rice song called 'My Favorite Faded Fantasy', amazing song, and I would seriously suggest listening to the song, it really sets the atmosphere.  
> \- There is picture included as a clickable link for the car Hannibal drives within the story.  
> \- Not beta read, apologies for any mistakes.

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Hannibal awoke from sleep as he always did, as if a light switch had been clicked on inside or outside of his consciousness and his mind went from a 'rest' setting to an 'awake' setting with fluency, his eyes sliding open slowly but without trouble, no drooping eyelids or lingering grogginess. He took in a soft breath as his gaze settled on the back of Will's head, the younger man's curls only just an inch away from his face as they still shared a pillow and personal intimate closeness.

Hannibal took stock of his body, limbs and skin and muscle, noting that his right arm was lax from sleep but still draped around Will, over his side and while their fingers were no longer interlocked against Will's chest, their hands were still touching, fingertips to knuckles and wrist to palm. Will's side was rising and falling evenly beneath the weight of his arm, the younger man's back radiating warmth in the small breath's space between them and their pajama clad legs were still touching, one of his knees lightly pressed to the back of Will's own and one of Will's ankles settled over his foot.

It felt really unfamiliar but also really good to wake up that way, and while Hannibal was quite amazed that he'd slept so heavily, having not even really moved at all for however long they'd been asleep, he was more amazed that Will had not curled away from him…in fact, if anything, he seemed to have shifted closer, since Will's shoulders were lightly touching the center of his chest and they were more spooned than they'd been when they'd fallen asleep. Moreover, the column of Will's neck was bared temptingly to Hannibal at that angle, and caught up in the moment, Hannibal shifted gently, raising his head to kiss the side of Will's neck lightly.

Just so, softly, dry, smooth and feather light.

And when Will didn't stir from it and his breathing didn't change, Hannibal knew then that the brunette was still deeply asleep, and so he took a few more innocent liberties. He stretched his left arm to lie above their heads, and then rested his head on his bicep, bending his arm at the elbow so that he could tangle his fingers lightly in Will's hair, playing gently with his curls. He looped a few of the soft ringlets lightly around his fingers and brushed a few others away from Will's temple and the shell of his ear, very careful not to tickle Will's skin.

He kept his right arm and hand where they were and the rest of his body still, not wanting to do anything to rouse Will from sleep as he enjoyed the quiet serenity and warmth and scent of the brunette. Will was soft in his sleep and he smelled of the pleasantly blended scents of bath products and his usual natural vetiver, and it was comforting in ways that Hannibal had never thought he'd feel, let alone enjoy.

He was embarrassingly tempted to curl his arms around Will and squeeze him close, but of course he would not.

Not then, maybe not ever…all the same, it was a bizarre sort of contentment, and he locked the feeling away inside the very personal space he'd designated as the 'Will Graham' wing of his mind palace, so that he might revisit it should he ever feel the need to.

As a minute passed, he allowed his eyes to droop despite not feeling the need to return to sleep and he continued to play gently with Will's hair, breathing quietly and cataloguing each and every light sensation; Will's warm skin, his soft hair, the skin to skin contact of their feet and ankles where they touched after having absently entangled during sleep, the light touch of their hands, Will's heartbeat against his hand. And Hannibal had been aware that he'd woken up with a standard morning erection, but as he lay there, his sex swelled to almost full mast, the comfort and heat and contentment of having Will so close making for an inspired bloom of arousal which tugged none too subtly in his loins. But Hannibal, ever in control, detached himself from the sexual aspect of morning wood and focused solely on the rare and sweet intimacy of the moment.

He laid that way for several long minutes, recalling idly that in his past affairs and 'relationships' –Alana included- he'd only ever portrayed a farce of afterglow or morning after intimacy, and always only for a brief, polite period of time before he'd either initiate more sex or remove himself from the entanglement entirely.

But what he was presently experiencing was neither an afterglow nor a morning after, it wasn't even sexual.

It occurred to Hannibal then that he was actually _cuddling_ Will...and wasn't that so distantly disturbing and yet immediately satisfying?

He didn't have any more time to ponder the strangeness of the situation though, because Will finally stirred, inhaling a deep sleepy breath as he shifted, legs first and then his face which he rubbed briefly into the pillow they were sharing. Hannibal felt a twinge of concern, wondering if Will would be uncomfortable when he was conscious enough to realize how'd they fallen asleep and woken up. He didn't move away though, only stopped touching Will's hair, waiting –with some trepidation- for a reaction from Will as he felt the younger man's fingers twitch against his own where their hands were still together.

It took a moment before it happened, before Will realized where he was and the position they were in and when he did, he tensed, but only slightly,

"Hannibal?" he said immediately, his tone more or less alert but still partially gruff with sleep disuse.

"Good morning, Will." Hannibal said gently and in a low voice, though not as gruff so Will would know he'd been awake for a while.

And apparently, knowing Hannibal was actually awake served to relax Will, as if he'd been worried himself about getting a negative reaction, just as Hannibal had been worrying the same thing, and that was an interesting detail all on its own.

Will shifted his head somewhat then, just enough to look over his shoulder,

"Morning…" he said groggily, "…how long…uh, how long have you been up?" he asked then, and when Hannibal lifted his head so that their eyes could meet, Will leaned further back so that his back and buttocks made more direct contact with the line of Hannibal's body, specifically his chest…and crotch.

Hannibal's answer died on his lips as Will's eyes widened slightly, because in the new position he was no doubt able to feel that Hannibal was erect inside his pajama pants. Hannibal didn't allow the small bit of hurt he felt at Will's tense reaction to bother him, and instead he shifted his hips backwards so that he was no longer pressing against the firm warmth of Will's toned buttocks.

"I apologize Will," he said sincerely, looking into Will's slowly reddening face with his fondness bared plainly on his own, "it is merely appreciation, I assure you." he admitted softly, taking a chance on a calming touch and shifting his fingers at Will's chest so that they again interlocked with Will's own, "It's just my body's natural reaction to being so intimately close to you." he added, and maybe he shouldn't have, because Will swallowed tensely and lowered his gaze, but Hannibal couldn't bring himself to regret telling the truth.

There was a moment of silence then, the couple lying still, the faint light of day coming through the heavy drapes barely reaching them but still making Will's skin appear fairer where it touched him. Several calm waking breaths passed until Will flexed his fingers in a soft squeeze between Hannibal's and he huffed out a soft sound very much like a laugh,

"Appreciation?" he intoned it like a question, sounding almost amused.

Hannibal swallowed lightly and wet his lips as he shifted so he was leaning up on his elbow and looking down into Will's face, tracking his eyes adoringly over the younger man's handsome features,

"Yes, I appreciate being with you this way…" he said quietly, idly shifting his fingers between Will's, "…I find it to be an experience I would like to have again many times in the future." more of that pathetic, sappy honesty that made his stomach feel uneasy, but he saw no point in ceasing it, it was a bit late for that.

But while it unsettled him, it made Will's lips curl into a slight and honest smile, which in turn removed all regret Hannibal would otherwise have felt at being so unfiltered in sharing such mawkish sentimentality.

Will raised his eyes to look at him again then, smile and gaze lingering a moment before he turned his head away and settled it comfortably with his cheek pressed into the pillow, exhaling softly and letting his eyes drift halfway closed,

"If you like it, why is this the first time it's happening?" he asked quietly, surprising Hannibal with his candor.

Hannibal blinked and averted his gaze to the red tinged shell of Will's delicate ear,

"I didn't know if you'd want me to." he admitted quietly and then wondered aloud, "Did you?"

Will didn't move or breathe for a moment, and then just when Hannibal assumed the answer was negative and that was why Will was hesitating, the younger man's lips, smooth-dry from sleep, clung lightly to one another as he parted them to speak,

"I did." he said mostly into the pillow, but Hannibal heard him so very loudly.

And he immediately felt irritated and annoyed with himself for having squandered the opportunity to do this sooner all because he'd been misreading Will, assuming that like himself, Will wasn't inclined to sleeping close to another person because neither of them had much experience with it, and perhaps didn't care for it.

But that had apparently just been his own half formed ideas and feelings projected onto Will, when apparently Will had wanted to share this sweet intimacy with him all along. Hannibal was also annoyed with Will though, for while he knew how hesitant Hannibal was to make any moves prematurely in case it upset their careful relationship balance, the brunette hadn't even thought to say anything, or initiate it on his own.

It was all really rather exhausting, their lack of proper communication.

Hannibal decided to say something in hopes of rectifying their combined foolishness going forward,

"Perhaps in future you could say if there's something you want from, or with me, Will." he spoke in a low intimate tone, squeezing Will's fingers, "I've always had trouble reading and predicting you, you know that." and Will did, he knew it well and he glanced up at Hannibal then, making Hannibal feel the need to express his point, "You only ever have to say if there's something that you want." he put the ball entirely in Will's court.

"Did _you_ want something?" Will surprised him again, asking another candid question without missing a beat, his voice quiet, even and laced with a note of personal warmth. And Hannibal knew –he just _knew_ \- that Will was referring to sex, because there'd been a vibe to his tone when he'd said it, nothing suggestive per say, but it was still somehow clearly intended as more than just a curious enquiry.

Hannibal didn't know if Will might be trying to test him or something though, perhaps thinking that right then, in that moment of somewhat pure intimacy, Hannibal might only need to be given permission to sully it.

Thinking that that may well be the case, Hannibal found himself wanting to get it through to Will that he was not a sex-starved neanderthal, and so he took a mental breath to compose himself before he shook his head once, meeting Will's eyes since the younger man was still looking up at him,

"At this moment I am content to just lie here with you…" so incredibly sappy, Hannibal felt queasy, but powered through it, "…I am more content still, to know that you want me here."

Again, it was worth it to spill his emotional guts because Will responded well, the scent of his affectionate arousal pleasantly beginning to fill the air, and lying so close, Hannibal was able to subtly inhale a heady dose of it, feeling pleased with himself for having said the exact right thing.

But then…there was a richer note to the scent than usual and Hannibal took a moment to look over Will, identifying the renewed redness of his ears, and that his lips were wetted by a quick slip of his tongue, also, Will's heart was beating slightly faster, the elevated thud of it felt against his hand rested at Will's chest.

And when Hannibal took in another deeper breath, he immediately recognized the scent from the single time before that he'd smelled it on Will…the night they'd had sex.

It was arousal…sexual arousal, Will was sexually aroused right then.

Hannibal forced himself to remain calm, ignoring the harsher onset of his own arousal in response to Will's; his pulse quickening, his stomach becoming light and of course, a coil of heat tightening in his loins, all sensations which made his cock grow stiffer in his pajamas and tension briefly clench between his thighs.

It was a rather visceral and embarrassingly quick reaction, but by that point Hannibal was hardly ashamed of succumbing to the feelings Will evoked in him with little to no effort at all.

Will's intangibly sensory response made him reconsider his answer from a moment before, and as he tracked his eyes from Will's lightly wet lips to his gaze again, Hannibal reminded himself –yet again- that he needed to stop just assuming that he knew what Will was thinking or feeling.

After swallowing lightly, Hannibal took a chance on just asking frankly,

"Was there something that you wanted, Will?" in a tone that was noticeably gruffer.

And Will certainly noticed, because his pupils dilated slightly in reaction to it and he breathed shakily, holding Hannibal's gaze steadily. They were both fully aware then that the atmosphere was different between them, charged with sexual tension and energy. Will stared up at him for a few long seconds, his breathing deep and quick, and Hannibal waited patiently for him to figure out what he wanted, or maybe didn't want.

The answer from Will came in the form of another shift, the younger man leaning back into Hannibal intentionally as he unlinked their fingers and raised his hand, placing it on the side of Hannibal's face. Next, Will lifted his head off the pillow just enough and at the same time, he gently drew Hannibal down for a kiss.

Hannibal continued to hold himself in check when their lips met, keeping himself from immediately ravishing Will's mouth even as the brunette's lips puckered against his own and then opened partially, just enough so that slight wetness lingered and Will's breaths passed over his own mouth. It was maddeningly tender, and then maddeningly arousing when Will's hand grasped the side of his face firmly and the younger man parted his mouth further, pressing into the kiss and licking his tongue purposefully just inside the seam of Hannibal's lips.

Successfully incited, since Will was obviously seeking to be properly kissed, Hannibal stopped holding back and he parted his own mouth at a slant over and against Will's and deftly sucked on the younger man's teasing sliver of tongue before he drew back slowly, only to kiss Will again immediately after. And Will yielded pliantly as he slipped his tongue into the brunette's mouth, Hannibal tasting the back of his throat in a wide, wet kiss that made Will's breath catch for a second before it rushed from his nose.

Hannibal pressed closer as he continued to kiss Will in wide-mouth sucks and licks, the soft clicks and smacks and breaths of their eagerly melding mouths filling the quietness of the bedroom. He pressed himself flush against the line of Will's body, tucking the hard swell of his clothed erection against the cleft of Will's ass, aware that for a second Will had tensed up slightly, but then he relaxed again and tentatively pressed back.

Hannibal felt relief mixed in with his vibrant need to strip Will bare and fuck him hard, but as with all of his emotions, urges and feelings, he kept a steady enough handle on them, and he chose instead to fuck Will's mouth with his tongue -somewhat aggressively- as he moved his right hand upward to cradle Will's jaw and hold him more firmly in place as they kissed.

Will's breathing had elevated greatly –as had Hannibal's-, but since he couldn't smell the sourness of anxiety or distress, -only nervousness and increasing arousal- Hannibal didn't move away or slow down, taking Will's continued reciprocation as a good sign. Nerves were not unusual to experience, especially considering this would only be their second time in a sexual situation together, so he didn't take the vague spiking of the scent as more than a natural occurrence.

If Will really wanted him to stop, he'd so say, Hannibal was certain of that.

Feeling secure in that knowledge, Hannibal slipped his hand down from Will's face, over the front of his firm chest, his rising and falling abdomen, to the hem of his sleep shirt, where Hannibal curled his fingers into the material and started to pull it up…

…and then Will stopped him, the hand he'd had placed on Hannibal's face coming down quickly to settle on his wrist instead, and of course, Hannibal immediately stopped and let the material go.

He drew back from the kiss right after, exhaling deeply as he placed his hand lightly on Will's hip, opening his eyes just when Will did, but Will didn't hold his gaze. The younger man looked off to the side, swallowing lightly and then exhaling shakily as he swiped his tongue over his already wet lips. Hannibal braced himself then, expecting Will to say he'd changed his mind, in which case Hannibal would make a point of _not_ being upset about it.

At least not outwardly…

After a moment, Will looked at him again, and Hannibal guessed that his facial expression must have been more revealing of his thoughts than usual because Will frowned up at him and said,

"I want to…" in an unsteady but sincere tone, which only served to confuse Hannibal further, and he forced his expression into proper neutrality as Will clarified "…I just…have to go to the bathroom first."

And honestly, Hannibal would have assumed that Will needed to urinate, considering he'd just woken up, but by the way Will's ears and his face started to burn a bright embarrassed red, Hannibal knew it was for _another_ reason.

Will likely wanted to 'freshen up' again…and Hannibal fleetingly wondered just where the hell Will was hiding the damn enema packages that he apparently found the time to purchase with such impressive discretion. As it were, his physical reaction got away from him, being a lot less restrained than it should have been as he immediately gripped Will's hip tightly when the younger man moved as if to get up and he throatily said,

"You don't-…" and then quickly, he came to his senses, sharply aware that he was being too forceful in tone and by his grip on Will, and Hannibal hurriedly amended in a calmer tone, "…you don't have to, Will…" and he removed his hand from Will's hip, avoiding meeting Will's eyes for the moment as he swallowed tensely and reigned in his urge of insistency, "…but of course, if you'd rather." he vaguely gestured to the en-suite across the room.

Hannibal kept his gaze down on Will's shoulder then, hoping he hadn't upset Will as he waited for the younger man to make the next move. He knew it was still too soon to be insisting against the things that made Will feel comfortable, such as 'freshening up', and he'd _known_ that. He could only mentally scold himself for that particular slip up. Perhaps Will would forgive hi-

His thoughts were interrupted when the brunette shifted…but not to get up, and Hannibal, confused, met his eyes again, noticing Will's adam's apple bob nervously, even as he relaxed, his head resting back on the pillow as he settled,

"You're sure?" Will _asked_ , as if he'd honestly believed Hannibal would have preferred that he use an enema.

Again, Hannibal had to wonder what else had been getting crossed and confused in their lack of proper communication where sex and its logistics were concerned, for Will to think such a thing.

Hannibal didn't dare get into that discussion right then though, simply nodding in response to Will and leaning down, pressing a kiss to Will's cheek and then his nose and finally his mouth, leaving off with a slow suck to Will's bottom lip before he stated in a quiet, husky rumble,

"Perfectly sure."

And it was a _major_ step forward that Will was willing to let go of it so easily, the younger man unevenly nodding his acquiescence before he brought his hand up to grasp Hannibal's cheek, bringing him in for another open mouth kiss, the brunette seemingly more confident for the moment as he eagerly slipped his tongue into Hannibal's mouth. Hannibal was encouraged by it, because if Will was able to move so quickly past that one thing, then perhaps it wouldn't take as long as all that before sex between them would happen under more natural and even spontaneous circumstances…

…before Will would be open to letting Hannibal thoroughlyworship _every_ part of his body with his hands and mouth.

The thought was so arousing that Hannibal had to restrain himself from biting at Will's soft, yielding mouth as they kissed and instead he once again reached for the hem of Will's shirt, and that time the brunette accommodated him in removing it, briefly severing the kiss and lifting his arms, shifting until it was off. Hannibal tossed it to the bottom of the bed uncaringly before bringing his hand back to Will's chest, where he lightly caught a hard nipple between his index and middle finger and he pressed his hips forward again, his crotch firmly against Will's backside. Will breathed shakily into the kiss, startling as his nipple was tweaked gently, but even so, he pressed back into Hannibal, and because of that, Hannibal didn't let up.

They kissed for a while longer, since Will seemed to be enjoying it, panting lightly and stuttering in breath as he made sure to meet every slide and lick of Hannibal's tongue with his own, and when his hand slid from Hannibal's face down to the top of his shoulder, where Will clenched his fingers and scrunched up the material of his shirt as he pulled up, Hannibal didn't hesitate to take it off.

He drew back from the kiss and sat up only long enough to remove his shirt and toss it aside before he was leaning over Will and kissing him again, with even more vigor, wet and deep and just a little rough, pressing his chest to Will's back and his hips forward again, and reveling in the feeling of Will pressing back into him.

As they kissed, Hannibal still leaning on his left elbow, he ran his free hand in firm caresses over Will's chest and neck, his shoulder and down his side, all the while keeping his touches 'within the bounds of standard sex acts', aware that that clause was still in place from last time. When he left off from the younger man's mouth –to give Will a chance to breathe-, Hannibal became immersed in the taste of Will's skin as he kissed and sucked over the side of the younger man's neck, grazing his teeth lightly over Will's pulse point and then his shoulder…and he might have spent many long minutes just tasting Will's skin if the younger man hadn't made the next move.

And what a move it was, bold and endlessly encouraging, Will shoved the bed covers down to their thighs and then he hooked his thumb into his pajama pants and the band of his underwear and started pushing them down.

Hannibal made a quiet, stilted moaning grunt as he watched Will carry out the action, pushing the layers of clothing down and off his narrow waist, baring his nudity with a lightly shaking hand while being fully aware of Hannibal's cock so close to him, separated from his rear by only the material of his own pajama pants, and Will followed through, wiggling and kicking the clothes off his legs, along with the covers.

Hannibal gave up a little more of his control the moment Will was absolutely naked and pale in the dull morning light, an expanse of lovely skin and muscle at his mercy, Hannibal gripped Will's hip again and pushed him forward a bit roughly so that he was lying on his stomach, face against the pillow, one arm trapped under him and his free arm settled on the bed near the edge, Will's hand splayed starkly white against the carmine sheet.

With no forthcoming resistance from Will, Hannibal threw the covers the rest of the way off himself and went to work licking, sucking, kissing and gently biting a trail down Will's spine, slow and wet. And while he was fully aware that rimming was still not an option yet, especially since Will had vetoed the enema and would likely be even more uncomfortable with the idea, when he arrived at the mounds of Will's ass, Hannibal was content to kiss and gently sink his teeth into the flesh, before teasingly trailing his tongue along the cleft as he firmly caressed Will's sides and pressed his hands in a massaging manner into the dip of Will's lower back.

Will shivered and twitched under Hannibal's licks and kisses, but when Hannibal's tongue trailed over his cleft, Will made a short noise which he buried in the pillow. Hannibal glanced up then and he saw that Will was clutching his pillow with white knuckles, which wasn't really a clear enough indicator for him to gauge whether Will was reacting badly or not. So just to be safe, Hannibal backed off, mouthing and kissing his way back up the line of Will's spine until he was nuzzling the back of Will's neck,

"Will." Hannibal said his name against the warm, blushing skin there, not really needing an actual response so much as wanting Will to stop smothering his face into his pillow.

Will turned his head after a moment, and when Hannibal could see his flushed face but still saw no signs of distress, he eased himself down and settled his weight partially atop Will. His hard cock was still covered by his pajamas as he pressed himself against Will's ass again, and then he placed another kiss to the younger man's neck, balancing on his left elbow beside Will's head as he lowered his other hand slowly down along Will's side.

Hannibal was curious about whether or not Will was physically aroused, so he made to slide his hand under Will's stomach. Of course, he needed Will to give him the room to do so, and when the younger man did, pushing himself up to lean on his elbows and arching his hips back into Hannibal, making room to reach for his cock, Hannibal closed his eyes and pressed his face into the crook of Will's neck as he was assaulted with a hot flood of arousal rushing through him due to Will's pliancy.

He rocked his hips down against Will as he slid his hand between the younger man's legs and felt for his erection, and yes, Will was half hard, the growing weight of his cock feeling firm and hot as Hannibal teased at it with his fingers first. And when he took it in his hand and started to stroke Will, slow and in a loose fist, lightly rubbing his clothed cock against Will's ass as he did so, Will breathed deeply and made a noise that sounded distinctly pleased. And despite knowing it was likely because he was masturbating the younger man, Hannibal was still glad to hear it.

Will kept his head down though, intentionally avoiding eye contact, but Hannibal didn't take offense to that, because he knew it was just Will's way of dealing with an overload of sensation. After a few long seconds of stroking Will's cock in long, slow pulls and slides until it was at full hardness, Hannibal released the younger man's sex so that he could reach down to his own pajama pants, figuring that Will probably wouldn't become uncomfortable at that point if he got completely naked.

Getting his pants off took some balancing and shimmying and kicking, and once it was off and they were both bare, Hannibal pressed his naked cock against Will's backside, aligned with the cleft, and just so between the firm cheeks and soft skin there, rubbing himself with light pressure, his eyes sliding closed briefly at the pleasure he felt from the physical sensation as much as the mental appreciation of being able to do it.

Will's breath hitched at the action, and the younger man glanced over his shoulder then, allowing his body to be pressed into the bed, hips down, torso almost flat, his arms folded beneath him, as Hannibal eased him down with his greater weight and bracketed Will's head with his arms, laying over him flush. He met Will's eyes briefly before he began placing kisses to the side of Will's face, the back of his neck and his broad shoulders. And Hannibal kept kissing and lightly grinding into Will, all the while trying to work up the _willpower_ to move away from the younger man so that he could retrieve lube and condoms, which he'd purchased –perhaps too ambitiously- just two days after they'd first had sex, and which was presently tucked away in the mid-level bathroom drawer.

He honestly didn't want to move though, especially not when Will shifted beneath him, sliding his right leg up and to the side, bent at the knee which he pressed into the mattress. It made a rush of blood flood Hannibal's cock immediately at the blatant action, because Will was parting his legs for Hannibal, permitting him unasked by exposing himself. Hannibal was then able to press closer, rubbing the length of his sex against Will more directly, dragging his cock from base to tip and back again over Will's tight, furrowed hole, pausing in between each stroke to brush the head of his cock into the shallow dip, leaving sticky clear dots and smears of his pre-come there.

Will's breathing stuttered and deepened with each slide and press and Hannibal kept his gaze down between them, watching as much as he could from that angle as Will's hole twitched lightly from the sensations and his ass cheeks clenched and eased. He felt a bit dazed but he still listened carefully as Will's breath stuck in his chest and throat, gradually filling the space more loudly with every deep and unsteady huff, but he still only smelled Will's nerves and arousal spiking in the air, nothing discouraging. In fact, Hannibal felt deeply gratified and hummed gruffly in appreciation when Will further exposed himself, pressing his knee upward into the mattress more firmly.

But then Hannibal looked up when he realized that Will was actually using his knee for leverage, and he watched curiously, his mouth hanging unconsciously open for his elevated breathing, as Will reached for the handle of his nightstand drawer and pulled it open. And from inside the drawer, which usually only contained Will's cellphone, spectacles, wallet and whatever book he was reading at any particular time, Hannibal was stunned motionless above the brunette when Will reached his hand in and extracted first; an unopened box package of KY Jelly and second, a box of ten Original Profil lubricated –large size- condoms.

If Hannibal were a weaker man, under the circumstances that surrounded his and Will's relationship, he would have moaned a curse at discovering that Will had taken the initiative and purchased supplies for sex. And if he were more easily distracted, he would have wondered which lunch break Will might have used in order to stop in at a drug store and make the purchase in the first place.

As it were, he was totally focused on what was right before and beneath him, and after Will had placed both items –so much more conveniently located than his own supplies- on the nightstand top and had closed the drawer again, Hannibal leaned down and slipped a hand into his hair, turning the younger man's head just enough that he could kiss Will's mouth.

The angle was awkward and so it was a little sloppy, their tongues leaving excess wetness as they crossed between parted lips, but Will made a soft breathy noise that sounded and embedded itself in Hannibal's senses as pleasure, which was decidedly excellent and very pleasing to his ears. Still kissing Will languidly and wet, Hannibal shifted to lie beside and behind him again, as he had been before. And in that position, no longer lying atop the younger man, Will was able to turn his body and head a little more, and he leaned back into Hannibal as he did so, making their mouths line up more effectually, Hannibal eating at Will's mouth with wide kisses as the younger man breathed heavily through his nose and kissed back with encouraging enthusiasm.

The change of position, with Will lying partially on his side, also gave Hannibal easier access to reach down and take a hold of Will's cock, which he did, stroking and teasing Will leisurely as they kissed and Hannibal continued to move his hips, rubbing himself against Will slowly and firmly, skin to skin, smooth and tacky and slippery and hot. He was wetter now from the buildup of pre-come and when his cock briefly and unintentionally slipped between Will's thighs, into the narrow gap of space behind his balls, the younger man shivered bodily, making a tense breathy noise, moving his hand quickly to take a loose hold of Hannibal's wrist as he stroked Will's sex, which throbbed heavy and hard in his grasp; a clearly positive testament to Will's enjoyment.

It was so beautiful…every reaction from Will was _extraordinary_.

The increasing slickness of his sex made the friction easier and as he continued to rub himself against Will, the head of his cock caught on the rim of Will's hole not once, but a few times, and each time, Will's breath hitched audibly. And when he actually made a soft and strained moaning noise, somewhere between tenseness and arousal, Hannibal decided it was time to move things along.

Because that time around Will seemed wonderfully ready for more, eager even.

Hannibal ran his palm over the head of Will's cock a final time, making Will's hips jerk forward into his touch as he smeared and spread the pre-come there before drawing his hand away. At the same time, he drew back from the kiss, sucking on Will's lower lip as he did so and then licking at the corner of the younger man's swollen, spit damp mouth.

Will's eyes were open before his own and Hannibal looked into the darkened, dilated pupils of the younger man,

"Are you alright?" he asked gruffly as he reached for the lube box set on the nightstand.

Will took a moment to breathe deeply before he nodded, his entire countenance looking rather stunningly overheated, beautifully unraveled and sexy without even trying to be, Will was positively breathtaking…

One handed, Hannibal managed to get the box open and he turned it over so that the tube of lube fell out, landing on the bed and rolling down to settle against Will's stomach. Will twitched and muttered softly under his breath that the tube was cold, snatching it up quickly, and Hannibal smiled when Will handed him the tube, looking heart achingly lovely, all flushed and sleep mussed and just a little amused. Hannibal very nearly breathed out the trite words of ' _I love you'_ as affection swelled in his chest, but he substituted that pitiable urge with kissing Will again, sliding his tongue in a long swipe between Will's lips, which parted for him welcomingly.

Hannibal snapped open the cap of the KY with his thumb as he kissed Will, and then he left off from Will's mouth to sit up and shift down on the bed, mouthing at Will's skin as he did so until he pushed himself up so that he was kneeling on the bed level with Will's naked waist and rear, Will's hole still exposed to him because of the younger man's position with one leg bent up and the other straight.

Will moved to lie more on his stomach again, leaning up on his elbows, but he didn't look back or down, instead he remained facing away. Hannibal could hear his elevated, deep breathing, could smell the lingering nervousness and heady arousal he was putting out unknowingly, and he trusted that Will knew to say 'stop' if he wanted to.

So, taking a quiet but deep breath and wetting his lips, Hannibal trailed his right hand fingers, dry first, into the space between Will's ass cheeks, lightly rubbing at his anus which was still slightly sticky from his own pre-come. Will's buttocks tensed, as did his thighs, and while he made no sound, his breathing halted briefly and he hung his head between his arms as he shivered lightly. So deliciously sensitive…

Hannibal stopped touching Will for a moment to hold four fingers together, over which he squeezed the clear lubricant before using his thumb to spread the glob, and the thought occurred to him then to one day ask if Will took any specific pleasure away from the foreplay. Not just the general overall experience, but whether he enjoyed the kissing, or Hannibal teasing him with his cock, or perhaps his fingers, or maybe something simpler, such as the caressing and rubbing and pressing together.

There were so many important things he wanted to know, but it was still too soon to make Will verbalize anything he was feeling unless he opted to on his own, which Hannibal knew he wouldn't until he was more comfortable.

Blinking out of his thoughts, Hannibal drizzled some of the lubricant between Will's cheeks, watching as the clear substance trailed into the dip of his flushed hole. He knew it was cold and he enjoyed the quiet huff Will made at the sensation, and then distracted the younger man from it when he brought his fingers to Will's anus again and rubbed in circles with light pressure, sliding the pads of his fingers into the tight pucker after every few circles, getting Will used to the feeling –again-, so that he'd relax inside and out.

Will kept facing away, making soft breathy noises, his body giving away his reactions with abrupt twitches and shivers every so often, and when Hannibal finally felt and saw that the ring of muscle had relaxed, now slightly open, occasionally fluttering and slick beneath his touch, he drizzled a little more lube onto his fingers and then pressed his middle finger into Will with steady pressure. Will's silky hot channel tightened up around the digit and Hannibal glanced up from the reddened stretch of Will's hole open around and clinging to his finger, to the line of Will's shoulders and the back of the younger man's head.

Will was breathing deeper now but more purposely steady, trying to get a handle on the feelings he was experiencing for a second time, and only when Hannibal slid his finger far enough in that he could gently press down and apply pressure to Will's prostate, did Will definitively react, his hips jerking down into the mattress as he made a strained 'uuh' sound and his rectum spasmed tightly around Hannibal's finger.

It was as blissful a feeling as the first time, touching Will so intimately and bringing him intense pleasure, especially since Will was still so sensitive to prostate stimulation, and while that would remain the case for a long time yet, Will would one day get used to the concentrated pleasurable sensation and would –hopefully- begin to crave it.

But, knowing better than to overwhelm Will prematurely, for the moment Hannibal settled for sliding his finger out and then in again, avoiding direct pressure that time, and he did so again, over and over, in and out, to loosen Will up. And when he felt the younger man's rectum become laxer around his finger, silkier and wet inside from the spreading of lube, Hannibal added a second finger.

Fingering Will was very pleasurable for him too, watching as Will's hole stretched around his index and middle fingers. And especially when he scissored Will open, listening to Will's breath catch and halt and falter with each insertion and twist and stretch, watching as the younger man slowly lowered his head so that he was resting his forehead on his forearm, huffing and making quiet breathy noises into the pillow beneath him. And by the time Hannibal felt Will's rectal walls become more and more pliant and open, his cock was painfully hard and his balls ached, he wanted so badly to bury himself inside Will.

But he didn't dare rush it, and only stroked his own sex cursorily, just to relieve some of the buildup, to keep himself from becoming too tense and impatient. He did however add more lube and a third finger, pressing all three in up to the last knuckle inside of Will as he leaned down and kissed once wetly between Will's shoulder blades, arousal searing through him when he heard Will shakily exhale an 'uhhn' sound when he once again applied pressure to the younger man's prostate.

Hannibal kept his fingers in Will then, slowly working in and barely out, spreading them good and wide every now and then, and drawing breaths and noises from Will that were borderline groans of discomfort and half-formed moans. Hannibal shifted, positioning himself so he was lying partially above and against the younger man, his chest to Will's back, and he leaned in and attempted to soothe Will with kisses to his neck and the back of his ear and against his hair.

As he did so, he glanced down Will's front, relieved to see that while Will had lost some turgidity, he was still half hard and leaving a small sticky wet spot on the sheet where the head of his cock was touching the bedspread. It was reassuring at least for Hannibal, a sure sign that Will was enjoying their coupling on some level, if not all of the levels that Hannibal was.

Another reassuring and encouraging sign he received from Will, was as he went on pressing kisses to the younger man's neck while he continued his fingering motions, Will not only reached his right hand back and up, sliding it over the side of Hannibal's face, onto his neck, his fingers curling into the hair at the nape, but Will also drew his right knee up further still, opening himself up just that much more.

Hannibal moaned then, quiet and gruff, unable to help it really, and he pressed his face into Will's hair on a heavy exhale before breathing in deeply the scent of Will's shampoo and his clean morning sweat. He was _divine_ , beyond that even, and the fact that the brunette was no longer clenching or tightening around Hannibal's fingers was another sign that Will was good and ready to go, ready to be penetrated.

Hannibal withdrew his fingers from inside Will then with a soft squelch, and the younger man's fingers in his hair clenched and then relaxed, Will exhaling and inhaling a few times into his pillow, his eyes having been closed but he opened them and turned his head to look at Hannibal, expression openly sexual and his skin flushed.

The kiss that followed was slow and languorous in the best kind of way, and they both fell into it with deep mingling breaths, wet lips and sliding tongues. Hannibal absently moved his right hand, the fingers of which he'd had inside Will just a moment ago, still lightly sticky with traces of lube, bringing it around to lightly masturbate Will, eliciting a beautiful response from the younger man, his hips not jerking, but rolling forward into Hannibal's touch…

…and that was _progress_ in more ways than one _._

Not only had Will stopped being jumpy, having not made any abrupt movements when Hannibal had touched his sex, indicating that he was getting comfortable, but he also hadn't reacted at all to Hannibal's hand for where it'd been previously, to what it was touching now, so he clearly wasn't overthinking anything. And when Will went on to make another quiet sound of pleasure under the stroking of Hannibal's hand, he drew back from kissing the younger man, placing a lingering kiss on Will's shoulder before he released Will's sex and reached over the brunette to the nightstand, where he –grudgingly- retrieved the box of condoms.

Leaning on one arm beside Will's head, Hannibal roughly opened the box and then moved off of Will to lie more on his side, shaking the contents of the box out on the bed behind him and then discarding it with a toss before he picked up one of the triangular foil covered condoms. Even though he really didn't want to use one –after not having used one the last time-, Hannibal would not question Will's choice in that, especially not since the younger man had gone out and bought it himself, which implied that he was absolutely serious about it, ie: no penetration without a condom, resulting in pleasure sans the mess.

And it wasn't unreasonable at all actually, so while Hannibal preferred the messier elements that came with good, hot sex, he didn't hesitate to carefully rip the small package open with his teeth before briefly lying back and using both his hands just behind Will's back to extract the lube sticky, thin contraceptive.

Will hadn't shifted, but was obviously aware of what Hannibal was doing and was content to just wait, his breathing audible but steady as he lied there on his stomach, forehead once again rested on his forearm. Hannibal was efficient in his actions, quickly pressing and rolling the condom down over his cock, reaching for the lube on the bed where the condoms were strewn as he comfortably adjusted the one over his sex with stroking fingers. He popped the cap and squeezed lube directly onto his latex wrapped sex, dribbling a more than generous amount over the transparent covering in order to make it easier on Will, and then he snapped the tube closed and dropped it on the bed behind him again.

Hannibal rolled onto his side again and was spreading the lube thoroughly over his erection as he asked Will,

"Do you want to roll over?" because it was Will's choice this time as it had been last time, but Hannibal wanted to see if he'd make a decision on his own without deferring to Hannibal's preference.

Will raised his head and glanced at him over his shoulder and then down at his body briefly, as if to gauge the position before making a decision. And he looked so flushed and aroused and comfortable that Hannibal was endlessly pleased when Will remained settled as he was, knee still drawn up and lying on his stomach, prone,

"Uh…no, is…like this okay?" he asked in a quiet husk that went straight to Hannibal's cock.

"Of course, Will," Hannibal responded gruffly, "however you'd prefer." and then shifted quickly so that he was up and on all fours above Will, his hands now pressing into the mattress, one beside Will's shoulder and the other on the pillow beside his head and Will's straight leg was down between Hannibal's.

Hannibal balanced properly before lowering himself down until their skin was touching, his lubricated sex sliding against the slick skin between Will's buttocks. And once he was settled with most of his weight balanced on his left elbow and his knees, he reached down with his right hand and took hold of his cock, lining it up before pressing the blunt head to Will's loosened, swollen hole.

And it was so quiet in the room, that when Hannibal pressed forward, the head of his cock breaching Will's anus, Will's mouth dropped open, going slack as a shaky, exhaled, strained groan emitted loudly from his throat, and the younger man tried to muffle the tail end of it against his forearm and the pillow, but it had been amply heard. Hannibal only just managed to swallow his –conflicting- moan as he entered Will's glorious, clenching heat, slipping deeper even as Will drew his right leg up as far as it could go and his hips instinctively lifted upward in an attempt to move away from the building pressure of being filled with the thick beginning of several inches of hard cock. Hannibal didn't press inward insistently though, because no matter how eager he was to be inside Will again, he wouldn't rush it, especially since the position was different and new to Will.

And he was rewarded for his patience when after taking in a gulp of air, Will stopped trying to move away and instead began bearing down against him, just as Hannibal had told him to the last time, assisting Hannibal's considerable length in entering his tight rectum. Because of that, his cock slipped into Will faster than before, making Will tense up at the smooth suddenness of the stretching penetration, and so it was unsurprising that when Hannibal finally entered deep enough for there to be substantial pressure against Will's prostate, the younger man quickly reached back and gripped tightly at Hannibal's hip. Will's right hand slid damply due to the faint sheen of sweat –on his palm and on Hannibal's skin- as he pushed against Hannibal's hip, digging his fingers and blunt nails in, his breathing deep and harsh, his jaw clenched and his face flushing anew.

Hannibal knew he had to stop then, and he inhaled tensely as he stilled his hips, closing his eyes briefly and swallowing thickly as he halted where he was, just a little over halfway in, because Will was panting and pressing back against his hip with white fingertips and red knuckles in a wordless instruction to go no further.

"…Jesus… _fuck_ …" Will breathed out a second later, head still hanging and breathing uneven, the muscles in his back and buttocks and thighs and his passage around Hannibal's cock all taut with tension.

Hannibal knew it probably felt more uncomfortable because the angle was different, where the last time they'd done this Will had been on his back, both legs spread for maximum accommodation and also more effort had to be applied to achieve direct prostate stimulation, in that position Will's body wasn't as open as it had been the first time and also, the insertion of his cock was naturally drawn downwards from the get go, which put a lot more immediate pressure on Will's sensitive pleasure center.

Hannibal knew an adjustment period was necessary, and so he forced himself to stay still and breathe deeply as he leaned down and kissed Will's ear and damp neck and shoulder, occupying himself with light, sweet physical contact and waiting for Will to be ready. He was fairly confident Will wouldn't have a change of mind by that point, because this was not the first time and the younger man now knew what to expect from anal sex after the discomfort faded, so it was more just a case of letting him get used to the penetration little by little over time.

"M-maybe the other…position was a better idea…" Will said tensely, confirming Hannibal's thoughts on the matter. He rested his chin on the back of Will's right shoulder then, watching as the younger man's nostrils flared in between his open mouth breaths, his eyes blinking open and closed slowly, his fingers clenching and unclenching against Hannibal's hip and on the pillow under his arm.

Hannibal pressed his lips to Will's shoulder as he considered the younger man's words, knowing that if Will did decide to backtrack now, some of the progress they'd made would be lost. Because if they were ever going to move forward, Will needed to experience different things during sex, not the same thing over and over. And while he knew he should have expected to go very slowly for a while still, Hannibal had always had a knack for pushing Will past his limits, and in this case, it wasn't even something that would hurt or scar Will in the long run, only bring him pleasure. Was that so bad?

Failing to feel guilty for wanting to show Will new aspects and heights of sexual pleasure, Hannibal was primarily concerned for the fact that Will's tightly clenching rectum would eventually affect his erection if he didn't move soon. So Hannibal broached the subject from a logical view point, brushing his lips against Will's skin when he asked,

"Does it hurt?" because if Will acknowledged that it didn't hurt, and was only uncomfortable, then perhaps he'd realize it wasn't necessary to change positions, but rather just wait it out.

The younger man made a soft groaning noise and glanced over his shoulder at Hannibal, their eyes meeting briefly, Will ever-beautiful in shades of red blush, fair skin, dark hair and heated blue-green eyes,

"No…just…" he averted his gaze again and then, much quicker to concede than Hannibal would have expected, Will took in a deep breath and he unclenched his hand on Hannibal's hip, sliding it down in an absent caress over the side of Hannibal's upper thigh, "…no…it doesn't." he said as evenly as he could, visibly making himself relax.

Hannibal didn't even get a chance to say anything, his words sticking in his throat as Will once again began bearing down, the younger man hanging his head again and closing his eyes as he did so. And seeing Will willing to endure the discomfort, Hannibal decided it was best to get inside as quickly as possible, and so he pressed his hips forward, and rather easily, his cock slid in completely and opened Will up the rest of the way, the younger man's hot, tight insides lightly spasming as Hannibal filled him.

Hannibal exhaled heavily as he wet his lips, his eyes sliding shut once he was pleasurably buried inside Will, and Will's mouth fell open as he made a quiet pitchy noise that was fairly close to a whine, his face reddening again and his breathing elevating from the pressure of the sudden fill.

Hannibal remained still and took a moment to steady his breathing, his mouth set open against Will's shoulder, lightly panting warm air over the damp skin. He let a few seconds pass as he felt himself and Will settle in where they were connected, the younger man's deep breaths evening out as he began to relax again. And only when Hannibal was certain that Will was okay, did he press forward firmly so that his pelvis was flush against Will's spread buttocks and he was inside Will to the hilt, the reddened rim of Will's hole stretched tautly –and exquisitely- around the thick base of his cock.

Will groaned again then, more definitively apparent as pain that time, and so Hannibal eased up on the pressure, but didn't withdraw because there was no anxiousness or distress to be scented. In fact, as the younger man adjusted slightly beneath him, his shoulder blades and hips shifting, Hannibal's senses were being filled more and more with Will's heady arousal which, coupled with his own, left Hannibal focusing harder on remaining in control of his restraint.

It was clear that Will wasn't experiencing any negative _emotional_ feelings at least, merely reacting to physical discomfort, which was not as bad as the former would have been, and could easily be remedied.

Hannibal decided then that he'd fuck Will close and deep, so that he would have a more continual experience with prostate stimulation, which, while it would be overwhelming, would also mean that the younger man would feel intense pleasure immediately and consistently, with little reprieve or interruption between.

Hannibal pressed a kiss to Will's shoulder then, nosing at the smooth skin, and a moment later Will, still leaning mostly on his left forearm, slid his right hand over the sheet up to where Hannibal's hand was balancing him on the mattress beside Will's shoulder, and the brunette slid his warm fingers over the top of his hand and to circle his wrist, where he squeezed lightly,

"Okay…I'm okay…" Will breathed out in a low tone, letting Hannibal know he was ready without needing prompting. Another point of progress.

Hannibal smirked as he rebalanced his weight on his right hand and both knees so that he could dip his head further down just enough to kiss the corner of Will's parted mouth, drawing away before Will could try to return it. He brought his left hand down and held the base of the condom then, withdrawing his erection from Will and eliciting another sharp, breathy noise from the younger man, and knowing soon that Will would be reduced to nothing _but_ incoherent noises, Hannibal kept smirking as he reached for the lube again.

He popped the cap and drizzled more of the clear substance onto his latex sheathed sex, and after tossing the tube aside he spread the lube with two loose, long strokes, before he positioned his cock again and reentered Will's fluttering hole with one wet, quick slide. Will made another interesting noise, that time lower in tone and broken near the end, as Hannibal filled him again. And when Hannibal shifted his hips back and forward once and then again, for a few cursory slow, long thrusts, just to spread the lube and get Will wet and relaxed inside, Will sighed shakily, frowning like it hurt as he adjusted his weight so his balance was on both of his forearms, lowering his upper body so he could press his mouth into the pillow, breathing audibly through his nose.

Hannibal decided Will looked gorgeous like that, the younger man's body laid out beneath him in the dim light of morning; on his stomach with his ass slightly raised in the air, skin flushed deeply in curved and jointed places, sweat gathering in the dip of his spine, Will pressing his mouth into his pillow to stifle the soft noises he was making of _enjoyment_ at having Hannibal's cock moving slowly in his ass.

' _No dirty talk…'_ Hannibal reminded himself before he could say something stupid, and then bracing himself more steadily above Will, Hannibal made one final deep press before he begun to thrust with proper momentum.

Hannibal started out at a medium pace, but it wasn't really about speed so much as depth, pressure and rhythm, and he knew what he was doing, so when during the first few close rolls of his hips, Will let out several stuttered –and pitchy- muffled moans, Hannibal kept at it with determination, knowing that fucking Will like that was a good course of action. And as expected, Will's body reacted to the consistent prostate-stimulating rhythm beautifully, his rectum spasming around Hannibal's cock and his hips jerking down against the mattress in absent half-thrusts, his eyes half lidded and blinking dazedly as he pressed his open mouth to the pillow and choked out lovely –albeit somewhat shamed- noises of sincere pleasure.

Pleased with the results so far, Hannibal set into it then, not keeping any specific pace, going fast and slow and deep and hard without pattern, and all the while never drawing his cock more than halfway out of Will, additionally always pressing the weight behind the movements aimed downwards as he rolled and bumped his hips against Will's backside. Doing so kept the younger man's hole constantly stretched around the thickest part of his sex as he intentionally stimulated Will's prostate with every single stroke of his cock.

And while Hannibal's body vibrated wonderfully from the undulation of pleasure moving through him and he panted softly from the exertion, Will seemed unable able to stop himself from making more expressive noises, his unsteady voice filling the quiet of the room with poorly muffled, broken and hitching pleasured sounds, variations of 'mmn' and 'nnuh' and 'aah', and also a few panted blasphemous, breathy, pillow-distorted curses.

Hannibal found it all quite excellent, seeing that Will was white knuckled as he clutched the pillow and rumpled sheet where each of his hands were near his face and shoulder, and he was pressing his knee firmly into the mattress to keep his hips elevated too, a clear indication that he was enjoying it.

Managing his own pleasure to stay focused on Will as best he could, Hannibal steadily fucked Will just like that, drawing more and more broken noises and whines forth, and also unbidden jerks of Will's hips both forwards into the mattress and occasionally backwards onto his cock. And with his head starting to spin from pleasure and heat, Hannibal attempted to distract himself from getting lost in the sex by putting his mouth to use, adding the sounds of moist kisses to the panting and moaning filling the room as he pressed his lips to the back of Will's neck, the line of his shoulders and mouthed at the increasingly damp skin between the younger man's shoulder blades.

All the while, his thrusting was consistent and only just connected their skin, subtle slapping and wet noises intermittently joining in with the kisses and moans, panting and grunts and whines and curses, creating a melodious symphony of their sex, which Hannibal memorized in great detail with every smooth cant and flex of his hips. And he clenched his hands in the bedding when as Will came up for a deep breath, moving his mouth away from the pillow, the full volume of his moans briefly flowed free. The sounds of which shot straight through Hannibal, ears to cock, making his balls tighten up and his pace increase momentarily, instinctually wanting to elicit _more_ of the noises as he fucked Will deep and close and just a little faster. But when Will quickly shoved his face back into the pillow to muffle his moans again, Hannibal grunted, teeth baring briefly as he narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

Frustrated by Will trying to stifle his moans, Hannibal tortured him with pleasure then, going hard and fast and deep with much relish, bumping his rolling hips into Will's backside with more force than before, his cock pressuring Will just there inside, where Will was so sensitive and he would feel the full extent of sensation behind Hannibal's thrusts. And predictably, Will became overwhelmed quickly and he raised his head from the pillow, his moans sounding out properly, but only for a moment before he closed his eyes and pursed his lips, pressing a long pitching and wavering humming noise into the pillow. And Hannibal would have growled in irritation, as he was momentarily blinded by the urge to grab Will's hair and yank his head back, but then Will unclenched his right hand from the sheet he'd been clutching and reached back again, pushing with a slippery and weak grasp against Hannibal's hip down to his upper thigh.

Hannibal, head clearing abruptly of the carnal urge to dominate, breathed deeply from the exertion and glanced down at Will's hand on his skin. And despite not wanting to, pleasure still singing through his body in unmetered doses, after pressing into Will all the way –to the pinch of blunt nails against his thigh and another tense humming sound from Will-, Hannibal exhaled and inhaled loudly, blinking slowly as he settled stationary inside of Will.

As Will's humming tapered off and his harsh breathing once more filled the room, Hannibal tongued at his upper lip and heaved his own audible breaths, breathing in the scent of their mingling sex sweat as their bodies twitched and shivered with residual pleasure.

Will took several seconds to compose himself, face half in his pillow, frowning and panting, before he eventually turned his head enough on the pillow so that he could glance back at Hannibal, but he didn't say anything…because there was nothing to say. They both knew Will had been feeling good, overwhelmingly so, so really, what was there to complain about? He'd just needed a break from it, was all.

Knowing that, Hannibal dared to smile down at Will, not really sure what kind of reaction to expect for his smugness. And his heart felt squeezed, his chest filling tightly with delight, when Will's lips curled up at the corners almost awkwardly before the brunette pressed the top half of his face into the pillow and exhaled a soft laugh from his open, panting mouth. If he weren't so flush already, Hannibal knew he'd be blushing; lovely and warm.

"…alright?" he asked is a breathy rasp, still smiling even though Will was hiding from him again.

The younger man nodded into the pillow, wetting his lips and pursing them as he responded with,

"Mmhmm." in a low tone.

Hannibal's lower half was already settled on Will, so he lowered his upper body as well, balancing most of his weight on his left forearm at the side of Will's head so that he could use his free hand to slide his fingers through Will's hair and over his neck and shoulder in light caresses, speaking against Will's ear when he asked in an intentionally sensual rumble,

"Is it good, Will…are you enjoying it?"

There was no verbal or vocalized response that time, just a light shifting of Will's hips, some tension –perhaps unintentional- inside Will, squeezing around his still throbbing cock, followed by a few uneven but firm nods from where half of Will's face was still pressed into the pillow.

And with that answer, everything felt excellent…perfect, exquisite…splendid…

"You're amazing…" Hannibal let slip, when it was possibly a bad idea to overwhelm Will further at that point with his words in addition to everything else. Still, Hannibal didn't want to take the words back, and instead breathed out more praise against Will's red, warm ear, "…the way you smell and taste…and feel, is divine." he kept it fairly clean though, and enjoyed the feeling of the damp curls at Will's ear tickling his nose and lips. Will shivered lightly, his body trembling all along the line of Hannibal's, and Hannibal watched Will's adam's apple bob when he swallowed thickly, heard the click of it and felt compelled to press his cock into Will again despite being as deep inside him as was possible.

Will's breath hitched on a gasp and he exhaled shortly through his nose after, and Hannibal added,

"I would do this to you every morning if you'd permit me, Will." he said it and meant it as a promise, moving his hand away from Will's shoulder as he sucked lightly at the younger man's earlobe, sliding his fingers down the stretch of sweated skin at his side. Finally, he reached beneath Will into the narrow space created by his elevated hips, Hannibal sliding his fingers through the dark thatch of pubic hair there until he held Will's erect cock in his hand. As Will shivered again and his mouth fell open on another breath, Hannibal stroked his hard, straining erection, "In fact, if I had my way, I'd see to it…that you are thoroughly pleasured every," he stroked Will's sex, long and tight, "single," and again, "day," again, "and night." again and again.

Will shivered bodily again and made a low noise in his throat, his hand quickly snapping down to cover Hannibal's on his cock, stopping his ministrations,

"…I'll…come…" Will exhaled each word quietly, his tone gruff and uneven, tongue swiping over his lips as his fingers flexed over Hannibal's hand. Will turned his face then, cheek to the pillow, so Hannibal could see his eyes, which opened to reveal their heated and dark state, more blue than green in the low light.

"So come…" Hannibal breathed out in response to the words and sight, looking down at Will with absolute adoration laced in with his lust. He attempted to continue masturbating Will then, feeling the younger man's rectum clench around him with his next partial stroke.

But Will stayed his hand in a firm grip, swallowing thickly and looking at him sidelong as he husked out,

"No, Hannibal, I want…just…k-keep going…" and not only did the quiet, breathy words make Hannibal's cock throb deep inside Will, but they also tested his restraint, making him salivate for the want to kiss the lingering words from Will's gorgeous red mouth…lick at his bearded jaw line…suck bruises into his damp skin…

His head was spinning again, because he had not expected in the least that Will would want to prolong the penetration if he could help it, but apparently...

The emotional intensity of the moment caused Hannibal's brain to blip into a static place for a few seconds, every muscle in his body clenching up with a rush of pleasure, need and desire. Will was so far under his skin, so deep in his mind and heart and meat and bones, it was enough to send him offline for a moment, his heart rate elevating emotionally as it so rarely did, but did so readily for Will.

"Hannibal?" Will's questioning voice, quiet and unsteady, brought him back from the white noise, and when he refocused on the younger man, Hannibal felt exceedingly more possessive and visceral than he had before, and he acted on that feeling before he could stop himself.

Hannibal moved with purpose, holding onto the end of the condom so it didn't slip off as he withdrew with a slick squelch from Will, who made a curt 'uuh' noise when he did. And once he was up and on his knees, left hand on the mattress beside Will's hip, Hannibal leaned over and slipped his right arm around Will's waist, hoisting him backward and up. Hannibal wasn't really thinking as disciplined as before, and he knew he was pushing his luck with his present actions, but he was pleasantly surprised by the fact that Will not only allowed, but accommodated the handling, the younger man getting his arms and legs underneath him, going along so that he was on his hands and knees in front of Hannibal, breath and body tremulous but unresisting.

And Hannibal took advantage of Will's conceding state as much and as little as possible, setting his hands on Will's hips and directing the younger man to kneel up. Will's legs were spread just wider than his own on the bed, his lower legs bracketing Hannibal's where he was kneeling back just behind the younger man. Will was still breathing deeply and unevenly, and Hannibal could hear it perfectly now, pleased that Will no longer had the pillow to muffle his noises. Wetting his own panting dried lips and still holding Will's hips, Hannibal maneuvered the younger man into place over his lap, lining himself up with Will's body and then with his hands sliding and clenching on the brunette's hips, he guided Will to sit on his straining hard cock.

Will's hands quickly found something to grasp at as he was penetrated again, his right hand tightly settling over Hannibal's on his hip and his other on his own thigh. And upon slow reentry, as his pliantly lose hole stretched to take Hannibal's length again, Will's resulting breathy moan was loud, clear and bracing, the sexy, broken end of it right when Hannibal thrust up and their skin connected with a smack to fully seat his cock, was better than the finest opera music he'd ever heard.

Hannibal inhaled deeply and pressed a grin into the damp curls at the nape of Will's neck. The younger man continued to breathe tensely and noisily, his back arching slightly as he leaned into Hannibal, placing both of his hands in tight grips over Hannibal's on his waist. Hannibal breathed hotly against Will's skin, reveling in the scent of Will's sex and sweat, the blood coursing beneath his skin, breath panting from his open mouth, the warm and electric elements of his anticipation, arousal and desire seeping into the air deliciously, clinging with a taste and perceived texture to the back of Hannibal's throat; divine and rich and mouthwatering.

Hannibal felt blissful right then in a surreal way, in a way he knew only Will could inspire in him, and he held the younger man firmly by his hips as he pressed reverent kisses and nuzzles to the back and side of Will's neck, then to the point between his soft earlobe and the curve of his jaw. And Hannibal was aware that he'd sort of broken the rule of 'no manhandling', but Will wasn't complaining about it, in fact, he seemed just fine. More than fine, Hannibal realized with an ache in his loins, when Will leaned his head to the side, baring his neck so Hannibal could kiss him there some more, the younger man relaxing his weight gradually and easing himself to _literally_ sit on Hannibal's lap, on his cock, proper, responding with beautiful sensitivity to even just that slight stimulation with an unsteady gasp and a full body shiver, tightening up inside.

Hannibal once again felt the need to ravish Will's mouth with his own as the brunette leaned against him and panted hotly, but the position didn't allow for comfortable kissing, and he had absolutely no intention of leaving Will's body again before they were done. So he decided he'd save it for later, and tightening his grip on Will's hips, Hannibal pushed the younger man up slightly before pulling him back down onto his cock at the same time as he thrust up with a rolling flex of his hips.

"…fuhhck…" Will cursed with a strained rush of air and dropped his head backward, the volume of the moan and the spasming of his tight ass giving Hannibal ample encouragement to do it again, and again and again, which he did, and did and did, increasing his pace and force, bruisingly gripping Will's hips as he guided the younger man up and down on his cock. Their skin was slapping more lewdly now, the previously relaxed morning sex becoming rawer in abandon and intent as he fucked Will in earnest. And Will took it, accepted it, the muscles of his legs flexing as he assisted in lifting his weight, either too lost in pleasure to complain about Hannibal's actions or maybe, just maybe, he _liked_ it.

Either way, it was glorious, and Hannibal moaned gruffly against the sweat damp skin at the base of Will's neck as heat bloomed and pleasure coiled tighter and tighter in his lower abdomen. He bared his teeth and trailed his tongue against the ridges of Will's spine absently, no longer bothering to temper his exerted breathing or grunts of pleasure any more than Will was doing with his noises, moans and breathing as they moved with heated vigor.

And as the intensity built in the minutes of increasing speed and impact that followed, Will's throaty, thrust punctuated moans got louder and pitchier, raspier and sexier. And the breaking point of control for Hannibal came when one of those exquisite moans was the sex roughened rasp of his name…straight from Will's lips to his ears, like a desperate promise of sin made to the devil himself. And it made Hannibal's blood and heart rate soar violently as he grinned shark-like with satisfaction against Will's skin, his mind tuning out anything and everything but the younger man as he reared up onto his knees behind Will with a forceful thrust.

A grunted moan was startled from Will when the younger man was jarred forward, and his hands, which had been gripping Hannibal's for balance, quickly went forward to catch himself on the mattress, instantly changing his position to being on his hands and knees as Hannibal continued to fuck into him relentlessly from behind, not easing his pace nor his force. And Will's moans and noises became choked and tremulous then as Hannibal, still holding his hips, fucked him with precise abandon, longer strokes of his cock, from tip to base, deep and hard with the weight and press of his sex insistent over Will's sensitive prostate every time.

Will's rectum was clenching consistently by that point, almost sucking Hannibal's cock back inside on every inward thrust as the younger man was flooded with an onslaught of pleasure. Hannibal swiped his tongue over his lips as he panted and grunted above Will, determinately keeping his eyes open and keeping the pace of his hips steady despite the clutches of pleasure and impending orgasm making him lightheaded. He focused on Will intently, watching as the younger man's left hand jerkily moved upward over the smooth sheet until it disappeared just under the pillow, where Will gripped the rumpled material for leverage and balance as he was continually rocked forward. And with his other hand, Will reached between his spread legs and took a hold of his straining, neglected cock and started to masturbate himself with fast, tight tugs and slides, as if matching Hannibal's pace inside him.

And Will's entire body vibrated with pleasure in reaction to the double stimuli, his back arching and hips cocking back and forth a few times, forward into his stroking hand and backwards onto Hannibal's cock, and he dropped to leaning his weight on his left forearm, head hanging down as he made a sound so near sobbing with pleasure that Hannibal nearly came right then for how delectable a noise it was.

Hannibal barely managed not to curse as his hips stuttered, head falling back and his eyes rolling closed as Will's anal walls palpitated around his sex. But he forced his eyes open again a second later and dropped his head back down on a heavy, shaken exhale, very intent on appreciating the view that the new position offered him, since he was able to watch his cock slide in and out of Will's reddened, stretched hole in the most lewdly appealing way. And he might have gotten lost in the sight if it hadn't been for the fact that he noticed Will's moans becoming higher pitched, tighter and once or twice soundless, the younger man's hand on his own cock now a flurry of tacky sounding strokes as he pressed back into every one of Hannibal's thrusts almost eagerly. It was plainly indicative of Will's rapidly oncoming orgasm, which was undoubtedly being brought on quicker by the dual stimulation to his prostate and erection.

And Hannibal, who was so close to coming himself, didn't stop Will from chasing his climax, leaving the brunette to jerk himself off as he continued fucking into the younger man, slick and fast in pursuit of his own orgasm. He was subconsciously aware of the fact that it was a good sign that Will was actively participating without requiring direction or prompting, it meant he was becoming familiar with the logistics of anal sex.

So, leaving Will to it, Hannibal slid his hands onto Will's lower back and urged him into a subtly deeper curve that angled his ass upward just so, and holding Will that way, Hannibal settled his bodily weight downward as he continued to thrust, putting even more pressure on Will's prostate as he snapped his hips backwards and forwards, fucking Will fast and hard and deep and loving the hoarse curses that tore from Will's throat as he did.

And it was after only just a few jarring thrusts and staccato smacks of Hannibal's hips to his ass, that Will, with his entire body shaking from exertion and sensation, made a broken noise followed by a litany of 'fuckfuckfuckfuck' which left his mouth in a rasp and got higher and higher in pitch and breathy sighs until the clicking, skin stick of Will's masturbation became erratic and Hannibal felt the younger man's walls clamp down on his cock like a silken vice.

Will was coming then, his mouth hanging open as several of his incoherent, half formed noises and gasps filled the room. His bent, gorgeous body was tense, every muscle spasming and twitching through his orgasm as he continued to stroke his cock while his ass held Hannibal's length inside so tightly that he could barely thrust.

And to Hannibal, Will's orgasm seemed far more intense than it had been the first time, overwhelming them both with the physical and emotional ecstasy of it. He kept thrusting as much as he could through Will's climax, breathing in deeply the chemically bitter and satisfying scent of Will's ejaculate as it blended with all the other heady, raw smells of sex and skin and emotion hanging in the air around them.

Hannibal let his mouth fall open wider as he panted harder and felt the pleasurable ache in his loins begin to unfurl, each snap of his hips coming at shorter intervals. He wet his lips compulsively, tracking his eyes over Will's gorgeous, exposed body as he slid his splayed hands upward over the younger man's sweat sheened back to settle on his shoulders, all the while Will continuing to breathe unsteadily and tremble, his body still reeling with pleasure and also tensing at the beginnings of oversensitivity.

Hannibal was right on the edge though, and when, on his next thrust, Will choked out a gasp and his come covered hand grasped onto the dark red sheet and twisted white knuckled into the material, at the sight of it Hannibal felt his pleasure reach it's pinnacle abruptly, vaulting through him with vibrant intensity, making him grunt throatily as he came. His eyes slid shut as his orgasm careened through him, and he quickly skimmed his hands down to grasp bruisingly at Will's hips again as his harsh pace turned erratic, but only briefly before easing off into a few uneven rolling thrusts when his energy and coherency were quickly replaced with hot pleasure and weightlessness.

He stilled after one final deep inward press, seating himself fully inside Will before he slowly pitched forward to lean over the younger man's hunched form, catching himself with his left hand on the mattress so that he didn't collapse on top of the bent over brunette. Hannibal was breathing harshly, deep and loud, the skin of his abdomen sticking to Will's lower back with every inhale, and he slowly opened his eyes, only to close them again and dip his head to begin mouthing and kissing at Will's shoulder and neck. And as he occupied his mouth with that, he slid his right hand over the damp skin of Will's side and hip, his stomach and chest and then back down over the hard muscle of his thigh, grasping and caressing in turns.

Will's breathing was about the same as his own, if a bit less labored by that point, but still, the proof of his exhausted satisfaction lingered, apparent in the occasional huffed humming sound that slipped out in between the younger man's breaths. And curiously, as Will slowly became coherent again, the citrusy scented elements of _astonishment_ began to seep from his pores, the intriguing scent and flavor of which Hannibal inhaled with a low hum of his own, and proceeded to taste with sucks and licks and kisses laved over Will's creamy skin.

It seemed…that Will was experiencing some potent disbelief at how great the sex had just been.

And Hannibal couldn't help feeling smug as he smirked against the curve of Will's shoulder and pressed his chest flush to Will's back, warm and damp, firm and close, thinking of how Will actually had no idea of what great sex was…not yet. In time though, Hannibal would, as they say, 'rock his world'.

It was unusual for him to smile as broadly as he was right then, but he kept his grin hidden in the crook of Will's neck, leaning over the younger man as Will leaned forward on his folded forearms and kept his head down. They stayed that way for a long moment, their bodies still connected and heated skin slowly cooling, and only when Hannibal felt the euphoria of orgasm begin to fade to sticky skin and cramping muscles, did he decide that before Will became too uncomfortable, it would be a good idea to untangle themselves.

He pushed himself up then, using both of his hands on the mattress either side of Will, and as their sweat clinging skin peeled apart and goosebumps pebbled finely over the expanse of Will's back and arms, Hannibal's grin faded, reality coming back to him like a slap in the face when he recalled the previous aftermath of sex between them, and worse still, there was also the fact that this time he'd broken a ' _do not_ ' rule. He swallowed with a soft click and forced himself not to sigh, more importantly though, be forced himself not to assume that he knew what Will was thinking or feeling.

Hannibal drew himself back and up so that he was kneeling again, and as he replaced his hands on the reddened, blotchy skin of Will's hips for balance, he subtly scented the air, but by that point his senses were overly saturated with the most pungent smells of sex lingering in their space and so it provided nothing helpful that he could interpret from. And since it was impossible to gauge Will's state of mind in that position, where he couldn't see the younger man's face and could only hear his regulating breathing, as his own chest still rose and fell with deep breaths and sweat beads now rolled ticklishly down his spine, Hannibal focused on Will beneath him and proceeded to follow through with the 'after' as he normally would.

Looking down at their still connected bodies, he reached his right hand between them and pinched the condom rim at the base of his penis firmly between his fingers to keep it on, before shifting his hips back and withdrawing his spent sex from inside Will with an easy, soft slide.

With absent familiarity, having done it so many times before, Hannibal removed the condom from himself, and as he sat back on his legs and tied it off with deft fingers, he tracked his gaze over Will, from the younger man's swollen, red-hued, slightly stretched hole, -the desire to touch him there, mouth and fingers, strong enough to make Hannibal clench his jaw-, up over his sweat sheened back and to the back of his head, where his sleep mussed, damp curls clung to his nape and ears in dark, limp ringlets. His gaze snapped back to neutrality quickly though when Will finally moved, the younger man sliding forward on his arms before falling to his left side near the middle of the bed and then rolling onto his back.

And Hannibal watched with rapt fascination and newly stirring arousal as Will, with his eyes closed and mouth slightly open, took in several slow breaths and in a lazy slide over the rumpled sheet, he stretched his body out; his long legs and sinewy feet, ten pale toes, sharp hip bones protruding when he arched his lower back just so off the bed, broad shoulders pressing back into the mattress along with his head tipping back onto the pillow, exposing his neck…every movement he made unintentionally sexy and absolutely beautiful to look upon.

He was truly stunning, the very zenith of Hannibal's every possible desire displayed in the naked expanse of Will's lean, scarred, pale body stretched out beside him. Hannibal barely allowed himself to blink as he watched the younger man relax onto the bed with a raspy sigh, his muscles still twitching lightly in the places that'd been most taxed during sex, his joints and curves, tendons and bones, veins and valleys all lined like a complex mural of life beneath his skin. Hannibal looked at Will's face then, and he found himself wanting to slide his fingers through the perfect mess of hair clinging to Will's forehead and temples, and wanting to press kisses to Will's closed eyelids, feel Will's breath mingle with his own, when after a slow swallow the younger man exhaled deeply…and most certainly, Hannibal wanted to taste the sweat gathered in the bow of Will's lovely upper lip…

Swallowing dryly, Hannibal wet the inner seam of his lips as he tracked his gaze downward, memorizing details he hadn't been able to witness after the first time they'd had sex. Details such as the lingering flush of Will's skin, over his face, neck, chest, and his extremities too, his nose, lips, eyelids, fingertips and the shells of his ears. Lovelier still, was the blotchy red near-bruises left behind in the places where Hannibal had gripped at his skin too firmly. And best of all, was that while most of Will's come was staining the sheet, there were a few thick, white sticky strings and drops of ejaculate clinging to Will's abdomen and dark pubic hair, and his soft cock was, of course, perfect where it lay against the thatch of curls. And to Hannibal's relief, Will's legs were not cinched closed anxiously as they'd been the first time, instead, they were both stretched out, subtly bent at the knee with a comfortable and natural space left between the younger man's thighs.

It was pleasingly obvious to Hannibal then, that Will was unabashed and far from distressed.

He distracted himself from the urge to lean down and hungrily lick the come off Will's abdomen –because that would likely not be the best course of action right then when the younger man was so relaxed-, by averting his gaze and focusing elsewhere. Hannibal looked over the mess on the bed then, at the unused condom packages –a few of them now trapped underneath Will's body-, the empty condom box, the torn condom wrapper, the tube of lubrication and their clothing strewn around. Also, the bedding was damp with sweat and come and Hannibal was still holding the used, sealed off condom which he needed to dispose of…but the very idea of leaving the bed right then did not sit well with him, not when Will was just lying there, completely inviting as he basked in the afterglow of their coupling.

It was a vulnerable moment, something they hadn't had the luxury and privilege of enjoying the first time, and Hannibal knew on some basic human-esque level, that it was important that he shared the moment with Will if their sexual relationship was ever going to flourish. He could not forgo or overlook the small things, the subtler expressions of affection, closeness and intimacy, nor could he fake them, that would not be an option with Will.

And so he wouldn't, and honestly, he didn't even want to, Hannibal felt the genuine desire to lay with Will, to hold him and kiss him and touch him right then as naturally as he'd ever felt anything before in his life. And so instead of leaving the bed, he picked up the empty condom box and dropped the used condom into it to discard later, and after he closed the box and leaned forward to set it on the nightstand, Hannibal turned to Will.

He moved obviously enough on the mattress that Will would feel it, and the younger man did, his eyes slipping open halfway immediately, his gaze tired but clear. Will watched him move with silent contemplation, and there was plenty of opportunity given for Will to stop him if he wanted to, to move away or shake his head, but Will didn't. And once Hannibal had stretched out to lie down level on the left side of the younger man, just partially hovering over him and propped up on his elbow beside Will's head, Hannibal dipped his head and sealed his mouth over Will's parted lips in a firm kiss, slowly relaxing his body weight to settle against the younger man.

And Will reciprocated so naturally, pressing into the kiss with puckered lips as his eyes slid shut and he drew in a soft inhale via his nose, that Hannibal experienced a flare of powerful possessiveness which made his entire body feel hot and pulled all of his muscles taut. He clenched his right hand beside Will's head into the pillowcase and brought his other hand up to slide into the younger man's cool, damp hair, using a gentle tug on his curls to angle Will's head to the side as their mouths opened against one another's, slow and wide, tongues licking into each other's mouths simultaneously, Hannibal breathing in Will's exhale as their lips sealed together.

The kiss progressed from there, deep, wet and languid, pleasantly salty from sweat and just a little sloppy from exhaustion. And when Hannibal felt one of Will's hands tentatively sliding through his own hair, fingers just barely clutching at the straight damp length of it at the nape of his neck, Hannibal gave into the desire to be closer, sliding his left leg smoothly over and then down between Will's own and settling it there, so that Will's soft cock was nestled into the curve of his hip and thigh.

Will's breath hitched very slightly then, but whether it was because of the gentle pressure between his legs or the fact that the kiss was becoming more heated -still sensual, but just a tad more ardent- Hannibal couldn't be sure. He wasn't too concerned with it either way though, because Will was kissing him back enthusiastically, matching him for every tongue stroke, suck and lick, each kiss punctuated with wet noises and their audible breathing.

It was perfect…

And the perfection of it left Hannibal having to pause for a moment, his hand tightening in Will's hair and his mouth becoming slack against the younger man's as he exhaled a rough breath, another rush of chest tightening emotions hindering his ability to breathe properly. Will tongued at his open mouth once, twice, languidly, eyes still closed and seeking more kisses, but when Hannibal couldn't find it in himself to take a breath right that second, he turned his head and instead trailed his lips over Will's bearded cheek and further downward until he could press his face into the crook of Will's neck, settling there until he was finally able to take in a proper breath.

It took a few seconds, but he when he could again, Hannibal breathed deeply against Will's warm skin, shifting himself to lie almost completely atop the brunette, the weight of his larger body covering the younger man possessively. And Hannibal was further inundated with emotion –delight, relief, happiness, adoration- when Will embraced him, settling both of his hands on Hannibal's back, lightly touching at first before Will splayed his fingers and slid his hands up and up, until they were settled on Hannibal's shoulder blades, arms encircling him lightly.

Hannibal could almost not believe it was happening, any of it...but then, it wasn't as if they'd reached that point overnight…no, it'd taken years…

Feeling deeply relieved, irritatingly emotional and very much in love, Hannibal gave into the shameful urge to nuzzle his face into Will's neck, just reveling in what he had, appreciating what he'd been given, gifted with, even as he was so undeserving after everything he'd put Will through. He laid there, aware of Will's every breath that made their chests and stomachs brush and stick together, aware of Will's warm palms against the cooling sweat on his back, of Will's now steady breaths ghosting over his ear and the side of his neck, the press of their soft sexes trapped intimately between their bodies. And while Hannibal was unable to regret his actions of the past, he had absolutely no intention of ever hurting Will again, not in the ways he had before or in any new ways in the future.

He honestly lacked the desire he'd once had to see Will in pain.

They'd really come a long way together, having changed one another so greatly, and it felt good to Hannibal, in a way that had nothing to do with blood or violence or retrieving an excellent cut of meat from a lean pig, but rather in a way that was just calm and brimming with quiet, peaceful contentment.

It wasn't a new feeling for him where Will was concerned, but it was definitely still far from familiar.

Hannibal's face was still tucked against Will's neck as they lied together, naked, exhausted and comfortable, as lovers should be. But having never been the type who was inclined to fall asleep after sex, no matter how tired he was, Hannibal didn't miss the sound of Will swallowing with a dry click, or the single throat clearing sound that followed right beside his ear.

He quickly raised his head then, looking into Will's face for any signs of discomfort…but Will was calm and rather adorably drowsy as he sleepily opened his eyes to look up at Hannibal, who spoke before Will could say anything,

"Are you alright?" he asked gruffly and quiet, trying to pretend that he wasn't afraid of the answer, but still expecting the worst even now.

Will blinked slowly, eyes remaining half-lidded, and when he parted his lips, kiss swollen and dry, they came unstuck slowly, Will swiping his tongue between them briefly before speaking,

"Yeah…'m just thirsty." he said in a rasp that suggested his throat was most definitely dry.

Hannibal was relieved at hearing Will's answer, and also at seeing that the younger man didn't shy away from eye contact. He seemed perfectly fine, not upset or uncomfortable and Hannibal felt the tension that'd suddenly coiled up within him drain away. He smiled at Will, slight and genuine, sliding his hand out of Will's hair to trail his fingertips down the side of Will's neck before brushing his knuckles over his jaw and scarred cheek, and if the delicate action made the younger man uncomfortable, he didn't show it.

It did make sense that Will was thirsty though…considering all the moaning he'd been doing. Hannibal was both pleased and very surprised that Will was so vocal, and he had a burning desire to know just how much noisier Will could get once he became more comfortable during sex. Would his curses become more frequent and lewder? Would he demand it when he wanted Hannibal to do something specific to him? Would he talk dirty, or beg for more if Hannibal teased him? There were so many things he wanted to know…

…but he had to have patience, patience would reveal all of those delightful things to him eventually.

Hannibal pursed his lips briefly, tracking his eyes distractedly over Will's handsome face as Will gazed up at him sleepily,

"I'll fetch you some water." he said absently, his thoughts veering off in several directions, thoughts of love, possession and sex, thoughts of their future, thoughts of dogs and domesticity, murder, blood on Will's hands, thoughts of tasting flavorful meat and expensive wine on Will's tongue.

"Oh…uh," Will frowned and cleared his throat again, sliding his hands down Hannibal's back unconsciously –one palm skimming over the risen scarred skin there- before settling on his sides, "y-you don't- I can get it-…"

Hannibal silenced him with a kiss, sucking soft and with just a sliver of tongue, before he spoke against Will's lips,

"I'll be right back." he said quietly, staring straight into Will's eyes with their lips still touching. And when Will said nothing to protest, just blinked a few times and averted his gaze, Hannibal moved away and rolled to the side off of Will to give him some space, which he probably needed after all the physical contact they'd had in the last hour.

Sitting up, Hannibal swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, and Will remained where he was, lying on his back, shifting his legs idly, his feet slipping beneath the bed covers as he settled his hands on his chest and stomach. Hannibal was glad that Will didn't move to get up after him or stubbornly insist, as it was, the younger man never had quite realized just how much Hannibal enjoyed pampering and spoiling him, whether it was buying him the things he liked, making his preferred meals or doing some of the everyday little things for him. But perhaps in time he would learn to enjoy it, maybe even expect it, especially since now their new dynamic allowed for more obvious gestures of that nature.

As he crossed the room to the wardrobes, muscles warm from exertion and endorphins still lingering in his body, Hannibal found himself wondering if Will was watching him walk around naked. It was an interesting thought, but he doubted it was likely, because even though Will was now able to engage in sex with him, the younger man didn't strike Hannibal as the ogling type in general, let alone the type to ogle another man's physique.

Being that as it was, even though he didn't glance back to check, lest he find himself disappointed by what he already knew, Hannibal still walked tall and proud, having never been self-conscious about his nudity.

He retrieved his black robe and pulled it on, tying it off at the waist as he walked to the bedroom door, and only once he had his hand on the handle, did he stop to glance at Will. Hannibal looked to the bed to find that the younger man was staring with half-lidded eyes up at the ceiling, and he hadn't moved aside from having drawn his left leg up slightly. He smiled very slightly to himself at the sight, taking it as a good sign that Will was in such a relaxed state, because it meant he felt good, even in the aftermath, unlike the last time.

So completely different from the last time.

Hannibal hoped though, that in time speculation and guessing of Will's feelings would no longer be necessary, because as he learned more and more about Will's body and how it responded to pleasure, he'd know how to interpret the sounds and reactions. Of course, it'd be even better still, if one day Will would just tell him flat out.

For right then though, Hannibal was content to leave Will sleepily reclining and sexually satisfied on their shared bed while he went to fetch him water.

* * *

Will was asleep when Hannibal returned to the room ten minutes later with a bottle of chilled water, the younger man having now rolled onto his side, asleep in the center of the bed with the covers crookedly pulled over his lower half and his head settled between the pillows, having shoved all the items littering the bed out of his way. Hannibal raised an eyebrow in amusement, but didn't bother to wake Will up to remake the bed or get cleaned up, seeing as it was their day off and it was barely nine A.M anyway. Instead he set the bottle down on Will's nightstand, where the younger man would find it when he awoke again, probably even thirstier than before.

Hannibal took a moment to track one long, appreciative look over the gorgeous, pleasing sight of Will, disheveled and sated from sex, peacefully asleep, all long limbs and pale skin contrasting against the dark bedding, so very exquisite in every way. The sight of Will like that was real in ways that ached, needed in ways that were foreign to Hannibal…and it was still hard to believe that Will was all his, all his to have. Wetting his lips slowly, Hannibal resisted the urge to reach out and touch Will's bare skin, instead grabbing the condom box and its soiled contents off the nightstand to throw away, deciding to tidy up the room as much as he could around Will, careful not to disturb the brunette's sleep as he did so.

He left the bedroom once it was in a more acceptable state, retreating to the kitchen with a smile on his face to begin preparing a decadent lunch, because Will would be quite hungry when he woke up.

* * *

Friday afternoon, during their work lunchtime, Hannibal and Will took a drive to their preferred choice of supermarket, which they usually did on weekends and occasionally in the week after work. But seeing as how they were working late that day and Hannibal would be working the following Saturday while Will went to pick up his…or rather, _their_ , new dog from the shelter, they decided to make the trip during lunch.

As per usual, once Hannibal had parked the car, a black [TVR Chimaera](https://s5.postimg.cc/knc93xyfb/3071473_orig.jpg), they got out and crossed the parking lot, entering the store through the glass sliding doors, both men absently removing and pocketing their gloves as Will went off to fetch a shopping trolley and Hannibal went ahead inside to peruse the aisles for what they needed.

Will caught up with him a minute later browsing through the fresh produce section, the younger man's scarf removed and hung over the bar of the trolley. Will left most of the grocery selection to him as he usually did, but as they walked along from aisle to aisle, he would occasionally add items that he wanted for himself, and each time he did, it always pleased Hannibal to know that he was comfortable enough to do so.

They shopped mostly in silence, only speaking to one another when they needed to share an idea or ask for an opinion on household necessities. They didn't need many things at that time though, so it wasn't long before they ended up standing in the pet products aisle looking over what the store had on offer.

"Would it not be better to make these purchases at a pet store?" Hannibal asked as Will crouched down to pick up one of the stacked large dog food bowls.

He shook his head lightly, not looking up as he turned the bowl over in his hands, assessing it,

"A bowl is a bowl, so long as it's stainless steel it'll do." he responded.

Hannibal just blinked and tilted his head slightly as he waited, since he didn't actually have an opinion one way or another on what bowls and whatever else Will needed for the dog, he just remained silent. He stood beside the trolley with one hand on the bar and the other in his coat pocket, watching as Will selected one large steel food bowl and a water bowl before the younger man stood up again and set them in the trolley.

And as Will continued looking at the pet items, Hannibal considered him, taking a moment to appreciate the brunette's comfortable demeanor. Will had been behaving normally since the previous day, since after they'd had sex for the second time, and while Hannibal kept waiting for something to go wrong, or for Will to say that he 'wanted to talk', possibly to put new boundaries in place or something, it hadn't happened yet…and didn't seem like it would as more and more time passed. Everything was just going so worryingly well.

The previous afternoon, Will had woken up about three hours after Hannibal had left him in the bed. He'd been showered, changed and moderately groomed by the time he'd padded barefoot into the living room to join Hannibal, who'd been sitting on the sofa and reading. And with a still tired expression on his face, wearing a half-buttoned gray shirt and a pair of clean dark jeans, he'd leaned against the back of the sofa, looked down at Hannibal with a slight smile and had offered to help make lunch, having not known at the time that Hannibal had already prepared it.

And it had been just as simple as that. For once, the fact that they hadn't discussed something that had happened between them felt _normal_ , it felt right. They'd gone about the remainder of the day as a couple should, with the fact that they'd had sex not being an issue that required talking about, as well it shouldn't be. And while Hannibal had questions about Will's feelings and enjoyment of the overall experience, he didn't dare threaten to pop the bubble of comfort and ease around the subject of their coupling by poking at it insistently.

So he'd left it alone, and they'd eaten lunch and then passed the time comfortably relaxing in one another's company, with conversation shared in between reading and drawing and sipping on wine and whiskey by the fire in the living room. They'd gone on to make dinner together that evening, and while the atmosphere between them had been charged with more emotional intimacy than usual, neither of them had mentioned or minded it.

Later, after Hannibal had changed the bedding and they'd turned in to sleep, they'd kissed goodnight, not once but twice, and despite the chasteness, the touches of their lips had been lingering. And even though they'd fallen asleep separately on their respective sides of the bed, and had woken up the same way that morning, Hannibal didn't feel like it was a setback of any kind, trusting with new confidence that _cuddling_ , if there was to be any more of it, would happen naturally again at some point.

And that bright and chilly Friday morning, as they'd eaten breakfast, prepared for their day and then had driven to work together, their newly forged comfort and intimacy had still remained, both of them in pleasant moods all day so far, their conversations and interactions having all been as enjoyable and effortless as they ever were in recent years.

It really was just…excellent. And while Hannibal subconsciously feared it was a little too good to be true, that so much progress had been made in so short a time, he didn't dare question it, not for a moment.

Hannibal met Will's bespectacled gaze without missing a beat when the younger man, who'd been considering a long leash and standard dog collar that he was holding, looked at him and pursed his lips.

Hannibal raised an eyebrow in question, and Will sighed softly through his nose,

"Maybe we _should_ stop by the pet store," he conceded as he fiddled with the fake leather collar, "they'll have a better selection of bowls and toys, and, uh…" Will glanced from Hannibal to the leash and then back again, raising his eyebrows, "…also, I'd rather get the veterinary approved shampoos and deworming meds, vitamins and tick and flea applications…" he trailed off and blinked a few times, and Hannibal realized that Will was waiting for him to say something.

Smiling warmly and looking into Will's blue-green eyes, noting that the younger man looked rather adorable with his unassuming expression, his eyes round and anticipative, Hannibal inclined his head,

"Whatever you need, Will, it's no problem." he reassured quietly, "We'll head over there once we're done here, yes?" he asked. When Will nodded, his mouth turning up at the corners in a close lipped smile, Hannibal reached into the trolley and lifted out the bowls, "Is there anything else you required from here?" he asked as he handed the bowls to Will, who placed them back on the shelf right after doing the same with the leash and collar.

When Will turned back to face him, the brunette stepped closer –into Hannibal's personal space- and placed his hands on the bar of the trolley,

"No, uh," he glanced over the contents they'd gathered in it, "I have everything I need." and when Will looked up again, right into Hannibal's face, only then did he seem to realize just how close he'd stepped, how close they were standing; less than a hand's space between them, almost chest to chest.

Will blinked, Hannibal didn't…and then a man carrying a basket came around the corner into the aisle, and Will took a quiet breath, swallowing with a tense click as the man walked by them, but the younger man's eyes did not leave his own and better still, Will did _not_ move away.

Hannibal smiled at Will then, an involuntary, teeth baring grin born from a sudden swell of affection he felt, Hannibal finding himself positively thrilled that Will hadn't backed away from him when the man –who'd surely noticed their _too close to be platonic_ proximity- had walked into the aisle.

Not wanting to diminish the significance of the moment by dragging it out, Hannibal reeled in his smile, tempered his emotions and broke the intense eye contact they were stuck in with a tilt of his head, gesturing toward the open end of the aisle. Will immediately dropped his gaze and cleared his throat, turning his head to look down the aisle before he faced forward and pushed the trolley ahead of them, using one hand on the bar as he rubbed at his bearded jaw with the other. And while Will seemed to be experiencing a minor level of residual awkwardness, Hannibal was still smiling slightly and was still very pleased by what had just happened. But he didn't look at Will as they walked down the aisle toward the storefront, step in step beside one another, instead keeping his eyes elsewhere and giving Will some space to deal with whatever he was feeling.

As they approached an empty checkout counter, Hannibal noticed that Will seemed to have regrouped and composed himself, and was presently rewrapping his scarf around his neck. And when Will caught his gaze just then, Hannibal was prepared to look away, but the younger man didn't, instead Will smiled at him, just slightly, genuinely and just enough to mean something, a natural and almost sweet little upturning of his pale lips. And the sight of it affected Hannibal more than he'd expected a smile ever could, to the point where he was almost uncomfortably warm inside his coat by the time they arrived at the checkout, his damnably fluctuating emotions getting the better of him for a moment.

They passed the groceries through and the cashier rung the items up while a second person packed everything neatly into two bags. When everything was through, Hannibal took out his wallet to pay the cashier as Will picked up one of the two bags, carrying it in his left hand. And when Hannibal was done, he grabbed the other bag and then joined Will where the younger man waited for him just beyond the checkout point, before they walked from the supermarket together, pulling their gloves on one hand at a time as they went.

It was all very normal, the shopping, walking side by side, the comfortable silence, things they'd done many times together, but were now just a bit different because of the new and subtle undercurrent of deeper intimacy running between them. And Hannibal felt almost ready to put his concerns out of his mind, _almost_ , but then the comfort was shattered just after they'd exited the supermarket and were crossing the parking lot to the car.

He didn't know if he was the first to spot the attractive young brunette woman coming toward them –on her way to the supermarket-, but what he did know was that the way she rather pointedly looked at and then smiled at Will, was the farthest thing from just friendly. No, it was blatantly flirtatious…suggestive even.

At that moment, Hannibal felt many things that he expected to feel; rage, violent, jealousy, disgust.

But he also felt a few things he hadn't expected; insecurity, inadequacy, hatred, nausea.

The feelings though, Hannibal would sort through later when he was alone, right then, his focus, threatening and dark, settled sharply on the approaching woman, who had angled her walk so she would pass by nearer to Will than her original path would have allowed. Hannibal was already memorizing her face for later, for when he decided to find and disembowel her. But then his focus was scattered into the chilly wind, and he was struck sorely breathless when the most unexpected thing happened…

…when he felt Will's right hand slide into his left, and with casual easiness and confidence, the younger man slipped his fingers to interlock firmly and obviously with Hannibal's own in what could not be mistaken as anything but a couple's link. And then to top it off, before Hannibal could even properly process the hand holding, Will took a step closer so that their arms brushed, shoulders to hands, as they walked.

Hannibal squeezed their interlinked fingers together lightly, holding the younger man's hand securely in his own as he discreetly swallowed around an embarrassing lump of emotion that had lodged itself in his throat. And that was it, that was all it took, everything else in that moment fell away, all thoughts of murder and foreign feelings of insecurity melted into liquid warmth in his chest with just that small, but _utterly significant_ , gesture from Will.

It was a touch made in public with purpose, a gesture meant to clearly show the woman who walked by them –no longer smiling as she averted her gaze with forced nonchalance-, that Will was _not_ available, nor was he interested in receiving looks of that nature from anyone. It was a public display of commitment, of possession and of affection, a meaningful touch in which there was trust and value, implied worthiness, pride and belonging…the unspoken reassurance of ' _I'm here and I'm yours_ '.

' _I'm here and I'm yours…only yours.'_

Hannibal didn't look at Will as they continued walking, and he knew the younger man didn't look at him either, both of them leaving the moment to stand as it would, important without words. Because it wasn't necessary to speak of, as there was more than enough said in the warm clasp of their hands, and in the fact that Will had initiated it.

And while Hannibal knew he would probably still continue to doubt Will's choice to be beside him every now and then, when the past came back to haunt them at some point, he also knew that the depth and magnitude of such worries would be felt as more of a distant niggling than as a primary issue, because in Will's simple gesture, Hannibal found himself quietly reassured…

…and happy.

Yes, what existed now as a pleasant ache in his chest was honest happiness, and the equally unspoken but entirely returned promise to Will of ' _I'm here, I'm yours_ '.

* * *

That late evening, after they'd kissed each other goodnight and lay in bed on their respective sides, Hannibal found himself lying awake and staring at the ceiling, mind overturning thoughts upon thoughts, until he found himself _wanting_. And feeling bold enough to disregard patience and natural progression for once, he turned slowly in their bed onto his side to face Will's back, and he took in a slow breath before he bared his vulnerability to the younger man yet again, when he asked,

"Will, may I…?" his voice was just above a whisper, and while he couldn't bring himself to add '… _come closer, I want to hold you'_ , he knew that his tone would give it away, would convey his hope, his expectation.

And didn't abandonment require expectation?

Yes…it did, but Hannibal was invested now, he had expectations, he had needs and wants and hopes, and if one day Will really wanted to crush him, to hurt him, to kill him or just leave him in tethers, a shell of a man, with the way things presently stood between them, Will could easily do it. He could break Hannibal, heart, mind and soul, with his absence, rejection or with his cunning wrath, Will could destroy him, and Hannibal would let him.

That was love for Hannibal. It was everything and it was eternal and it was literally only death that could do them part in the end. Will could really, truly hurt him, even in a scenario as simple as asking _permission_ to hold him, but Will didn't hurt him, or reject him, and he didn't say 'no', pretend to be asleep or brush off the question.

Instead, Will turned to look over his shoulder at Hannibal with half-lidded eyes, raising his eyebrows and smiling sleepily before he began scooting backwards toward him, and Hannibal realized then, with dull alarm, that he hadn't really feared that Will would say no to him, not as he might have just two days earlier, which meant that his affections were becoming blinder, and that was a dangerous thing, that what he felt for Will was blinding him.

It was dangerous for them both, and it was not the first time Hannibal was facing that truth…

Abruptly dismissing –albeit only temporarily- the torrent of hazardous thoughts and feelings flaring up in his mind, Hannibal shifted the blankets over himself and moved closer to the center of the bed to meet Will halfway.

And once they were pressed close together, in a rather cliché spoon and with Will encircled in his arms, Hannibal allowed himself to relax, with a ghost of a smile on his lips secretly pressed into the curls at the nape of Will's neck.

And Hannibal fell asleep that way, in the dark and silence of the room with Will's essence saturating his senses, knowing that no dreams he could ever have again, would be better than his reality.

**Author's Note:**

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